


Yuri!!! On Fire Emblem Awakening

by RiaDan



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Drama, F/F, F/M, Falling In Love, Fire Emblem Awakening - Freeform, First Meetings, Fluff, Happy Ending, M/M, Other, Romantic Comedy, Swords & Sorcery
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-26
Updated: 2020-12-23
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:54:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 64,771
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25525501
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RiaDan/pseuds/RiaDan
Summary: Yuuri awakens in a foreign land without any memories of his past.The man, who finds him, is Victor – Crown Prince of Ylisse and protector of his beloved people. Yuuri joins the prince’s group of Shepherds and finds himself entangled in an epic battle between the Goddess Naga and the Fell Dragon Grima.Two sleeping dragon vessel’s - one a sacred ally of mankind, the other its sworn destroyer.Two heroes marked with symbols of the gods.Their meeting heralds the dragons' awakening – and the world's ending with the fate of the world dangling on the edge of a sword.
Relationships: Katsuki Yuuri/Victor Nikiforov
Comments: 8
Kudos: 19





	1. Premonition - Invisible Ties

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Credam, Dabo, Sperabo](https://archiveofourown.org/works/10270433) by [Dawn on ICE (Dawn_Blossom)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dawn_Blossom/pseuds/Dawn%20on%20ICE). 



> Hey^^
> 
> And welcome to my Fire Emblem Awakening story^^  
> I always wanted to write one FE-A-fic and so I decided to do that with the inspiration from Credam, Dabo, Sperabo (I looooove it!!!)  
> And as it isn't finished, I have to try and do a finished one myself :-P
> 
> I hope you have a lot of fun reading it^^
> 
> All the best^^
> 
> Love, Ria
> 
> Disclaimer: I don't own this Anime, Manga, its characters and Fire Emblem Awakening!

Darkness clouds every feeling and sense.

There is no light or shimmer of clarity enlightening the black oblivion in his head. His past awareness being exiled into the depths of his consciousness leave him empty, feeling like a black whole, drifting aimlessly in the grace of the universe.

Then he feels himself placed and his surroundings become lucid to himself.

He wakes to loud noises of a heated battle around him, trying to grasp his whereabouts.

A grand wall of magical dark fire divides the grand luxurious hall they are in into two parts.

He feels strange, like he is in some kind of dream or trance and at the same time all of it seems real, somehow like a lived through memory.

Shaking his head in wonder, he lets his vision wander around curiously.

And everything seems to fall into place.

A shiver runs down his spine as he fixes his gaze again on his surroundings.

The ceremonial fire for the summoning ritual lids the grand throne room in an ominous light and the heat of battle paints the atmosphere into a strained whirlwind of clashing weapons and exploding magic.

He is…

“Yuuri! He’s up there!”, a silver-haired man in his early thirties yells loudly, shaking him out of his trance like state and points to the right corner above him and his brother in arms.

His body springs into action, Yuuri can feel the magic covering his hands, preparing for an attack and he directs it outwards. A large icicle forms flying through the air like an oversized arrow, but it misses its target by an inch. He clicks his tongue.

“You fool”, their enemy hisses arrogantly and smirks deadly, “Die!”

He aims his attack not at the Grand Master with messy black hair and brown eyes, but at his ally and panic surges in Yuuri’s chest.

“VICTOR! Watch out!”, Yuuri finds himself saying, though he’s not in control of his own words, the adrenaline rising to his head.

Victor raises his own magic-coated hands, but before he can make his own move and counter the magic directed at him, Yuuri is blasting away the dark magic that had been heading for him with another icicle of his own.

Rage builds inside Yuuri. This man can’t hurt Victor. He won’t let him.

His ally turns to him, taking a deep breath, “This is it then. Our final battle. You’re one of us, Yuuri, and no ‘destiny’ can change that. Now let’s kill this dastard and be done with it!”

Yuuri nods as he grips his tome in one hand and stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the silver-haired Ylissean Noble. They attack in tandem, but their enemy evades the attacks.

“Ha ha ha! Why do you resist?”, their adversary smirks cruelly, “Such fools! Struggle all you want! You cannot unwrite what is already written!”

Victor turns to Yuuri and they nod at each other before they let loose two giant icicle spears, that hit their mark this time.

“It’s over, King Validar”, Victor says quietly, but deathly serious as their enemy sinks to the ground breathing heavily.

Validar chuckles weakly and smirks dangerously at the both of them.

“This isn’t over…”, the King of Plegia coughs up blood and grimaces, “Damn you BOTH!!!”

His eyes close and the leader of the Grimleal stops breathing and moving, his face resting in a grimace full of contempt.

Victor takes a few steps towards their defeated enemy and shoves his Ice tome into his pocket. Victory is theirs.

He lets out a sigh of relief and exhaustion from the long battle.

Then his gaze turns to Yuuri and they both focus on each other.

“Are you alright? That’s the end of him. Thanks to you we carried the day… We can rest easy now. At long last…”, he says comfortingly, reaching out a hand to touch Yuuri’s arm.

But the Grand Master is silent, his body becoming unstable and his vision blurring. His hands come up to hold his throbbing head. He feels that something is wrong and that they won’t be able to rest yet. The black-haired man tries to take a deep breath, focusing on calming himself, but failing terribly.

“Yuuri, what’s wrong? Is your head hurting you?”, Victor asks gently, eyes soft with concern and fondness.

Yuuri knows that he is not alright, but the words elude him. There’s a pain now in his head, starting to grow stronger and more intense by the minute and his vision swims. Even breathing feels difficult. He can’t help but cry out in agony when the pain becomes too much to bear.

“Yuuri!”, Victor exclaims horrified as he comes racing over alarmed.

But the Grand Master tries to scramble away blindly, tears flowing down his cheeks as the pain grows at an excruciating pace and something alien and dark growing inside of him.

‘No! Stay away, stay away, stay away, stay away’, Yuuri thinks desperately, but he cannot speak. His voice still not coming out to stress his concerns. There is definitely something very wrong with him. But he doesn’t know what. The pain clouding his mind.

Suddenly his body starts moving on its own, driven by an unknown but very powerful and dark force. Yuuri tries to stop himself, to control himself, to get his bearings over his body, but his tries are in vain.

Only one thought crosses his mind: Something is controlling him.

Something foreign but familiar, nevertheless.

Something ancient and powerful and very dangerous.

He notices next that his Ice tome is wide open. Potent magic gathers in his open right palm creating another icicle and Victor... Victor is right next to him and Yuuri’s mind realizes too late, what is about to happen.

Before he can even let out a warning shout, the frozen spear has pierced the Ylissean Noble straight through the chest and Yuuri wants to cry. Victor is looking at him with wide, unbelieving eyes, but then he blinks and there’s nothing, but sorrow and sadness left in his glazed eyes.

“Yuuri… look at me…”, Victor says, breaking off into bloody coughs, “This… isn’t your fault… Promise me… you’ll escape from this place… Please…”, his hand traces gently the outlines of Yuuri’s tear-stained cheeks and the King of Ylisse whispers lovingly, “Please, go… I… I love…”, Victor collapses before he can finish his sentence, his eyes closing as he falls to the cold ground of the enemies’ throne room, his body unmoving and still. And Yuuri laughs viciously and gleefully.

‘Wait, no. This is all wrong!‘

He isn’t laughing; he’s heartbroken and devastated.

This thing that’s laughing is not him.

His vision goes dark and he loses consciousness.

His last thought a single word: _Victor_.


	2. Prologue - The Verge of History

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri awakens in the fields without any idea about who he is and what he is doing there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey^^
> 
> I am back^^  
> I wish you a lot of fun with the new chapter^^
> 
> All the best <3
> 
> Love, Ria

A loud, terrified gasp escapes him, when he first regains his consciousness.

He tries to open his eyes and move his body, but he can’t find the strength to stir his muscles, still petrified from his dream.

His dream about… What has his dream been about again?

A slight shiver runs down his spine and a feeling of terror and anxiety settles in his stomach. He concludes that it must have been a nightmare.

The man tries to breathe slowly, thanking the gods that he doesn’t remember his terrifying dream. Warmth seems to crawl back into his lazy muscles, his body however is still not cooperating. So, he tries to rely on his ears for orientation and gets surprised as he can make out two concerned voices talking apparently right over him.

How hasn’t he noticed them before?

“Well, we’ve got to do something”, a concerned female voice says.

“What do you propose we do?”, a silky male voice asks playfully.

“I don’t know! You’re the one in charge, so you make the decision”, the female voice replies impatient and slightly annoyed.

A gut feeling tells the man on the ground that they very often have conversations like this, which seems to amuse him greatly.

Furthermore, he feels an irrational sense of trust build for these unknown strangers as intuition tells him that they are not dangerous.

So, when he finally forces his eyes open, two blurry figures appear in his front vision.

He blinks and blinks again, but they still don’t come into focus.

The man on the ground huffs in frustration.

Maybe something is wrong with his eyes?

“I see you’re awake now!”, the blurry, but tall man in front of him exclaims cheerfully and happy.

‘At least someone is in a good mood’, the groggy man states in his mind.

He feels sluggish, somehow tired and confused.

So, he furrows his eyebrows, trying to get his eyesight to focus to get better vision, which doesn’t really help at all.

The still frustratingly blurry figure in front of him bounces up and down for an instant, then he waves a hand in front of the recently woken man, before his gaze turns to the ground and then the blurry silver-haired stranger exclaims enthusiastically, “Oh, your glasses fell off. Here, let me help you. Just one second…”

His blue-framed glasses slide gently over his eyes and the confused male comes face to face with the most beautiful man, he’s ever seen in his life. Long silver hair sparkling in the sun. Blue eyes like the sky on clear days or a pure river rushing down the mountainside. His stature thin, but muscular and strong like the legendary version of an Adonis in his late teens. A white cape enveloping his whole body, clothed with a royal blue vest draped over a white button-down shirt with long sleeves, covered by a royal blue battle suit and a light overcoat, decorated with ornaments of golden and silver threat and midnight blue boots. A small silver shield covers his left shoulder and his silver belt holds on one side a brown-golden sheave with a fancy sword and on the other a placeholder for a tome. Simply put: the handsome stranger is breath-taking. It seems like an actual angel stands before him. Like the moon god personally descended onto the earth to let him praise his otherworldly existence by his unworthy self. Such a beautiful man just couldn’t be human.

He continues to stare blankly, speechless and entranced by the sight before him, his mouth wide open.

‘If this is a dream, please don’t wake me up’, his inner self pleas.

The beautiful creature in front of him chuckles amicably and playful, seemingly amused by the display before him, “There are far more better places to take a nap than on the ground, you know little piglet”, the handsome, angelic man says, smiling brightly as he holds out a gloved hand to help him up, “Give me your hand.”

The still dazed male takes his offered hand, ignoring the insult from the beautiful man and the extremely pretty stranger pulls him upwards.

Their eyes meet clearly for the first time and both seem to not be able to direct their gazes any other way, magically lost in each other.

Something in the man’s blue eyes calls to him and it feels like coming home. He feels as this moment holds all the answers to his questions in his life, like this meeting was fated from the very beginning. He shakes his head. He should get a hold of himself and stop being ridiculous.

“Are you alright?”, the beautiful man with cerulean blue eyes asks gently, looking at him in concern.

“Uh, yes”, he replies shortly and smiles at the handsome and familiar stranger, “Thank you, Victor.”

“Ah, so you have heard of me!”, the handsome man says cheerfully with a spark in his eyes.

“Uh… no…”, he responds sheepishly and confused, “I actually have no idea, who you are. The name just popped into my head.”

After he had spoken his last sentence, realization dawns on him.

Not only does he not know, who this Victor is, but he has no idea, where he is or what he’s supposed to be doing or… or anything!

Why did he know the man’s name? Why does their interaction feel so familiar, when he swears that they never met before in their lives?

This situation clearly is confusing as hell and he is totally out of his depth.

It feels like his brain has a big hole in it and his memories just vanished into oblivion, a black hole, leaving him absent of any hint concerning his life’s story before his awakening in the fields. The young man looks down at himself, furrowing his eyebrows, hoping that he is at least somewhat presentable. He lets out a sigh in relief. At least he is clothed and albeit presentable: He wears a white button-down with light golden lines, dark-brown pants covered with midnight-blue shielding and long black boots up to his knees. His overcoat is lightly rumpled and a little dirty from the ground, but shimmers slightly in the sun and feels very comfortable.

Which brings him back to his current predicament, his mind starting again to go in loops. But before he can dwell more on his revelations further, the silver-haired man interrupts his inner turmoil with a coy, but amused and friendly chuckle, “Wow! That’s very weird. So, dear little piglet, what’s your name then. What brings you here and why were you lying unconscious in the field?”

He stares speechless at the taller stranger in front of him, before the words register in his stunned mind. Then he splutters embarrassed, his cheeks turning a rose shade, “Little piglet? You have to know that my name is… My name is… I… um… I… don’t know?!?”, he admits, panic welling up inside him, “I-I don’t know anything! I...?”, he clutches his fists at his helplessness. The feeling of anxiety, panic and fear is rising up in his stomach with ultrasound speed, nurturing his distress, his thoughts running a thousand miles ahead.

“You’ve got amnesia?”, the redhaired woman with deep blue eyes next to Victor asks surprised but empathetic, joining their conversation.

She is smaller than Victor, however, still bigger than him and has a lithe but still muscular body. The teenaged girl is dressed in a short yellow dress, guarded by silver battle protection gear. She has white stockings and wears long brown knee-length boots. The red head has shielded arm guards over her gloved hands. She looks like beautiful Fae out of picture books for little and gullible children.

“That’s a load of shit”, an older man, who was partially bald with his remaining grey hair, cut to jaw-length and slicked back, covered from head to toe in blue and silver armour growls from the top of his horse.

He hadn’t realized that there was a third person present during the whole conversation. So, he turns his head to focus on the elder man, only to be stared down with a strict and icy glare. He shudders internally.

The man in his fifties looks like a general from the military, stern and strict and clearly not someone you want to take on.

“You expect us to believe you remember Victor’s name but not your own? Do you think we were born yesterday?”, the fear-inducing elder growls at the poor amnesiac.

The nameless man straightens his posture into an uncomfortable straight line, “Yes! I mean, no! I… I’m telling the truth!”, he shouts, waving his arms around rapidly, but it sounds ridiculous even to his own ears.

Now they’re all going to think he’s lying and they’ll probably take him to jail and he doesn’t even know, if he knows how to fight, and oh gods this is the worst experience he’s ever had – since it’s the only experience he has in his memory right now, that makes it automatically the worst.

‘How in the world have I even gotten into such a situation?!?’

“Hey, Yakov, stop freaking out the poor piglet! He might be telling the truth!”, Victor pipes up surprisingly in his defence, “Moreover, we can’t just leave him out here alone, disoriented and confused! What sort of Shepherds would we be then?”

The older man sighs, supporting his head with his left hand, while rubbing soothingly against his temple. Seems like he got a headache.

“Vitya, you’re too trusting. I must emphasize caution. This man is not a stray puppy for you to bring home. He could have ill intent. It would not do to let a wolf into our flock”, the man called Yakov argues after rubbing his temple in a deep grimace. Maybe they had conversations like this more frequently than expected, but the nameless man can only guess.

“I know that”, Victor protests. “So, we’ll just take him to town and sort things out there. If he’s dangerous, we’ll take care of it.”

Ah, so they are taking him prisoner, maybe he could...

“Wait just a second! Do I have a say in this?”, he snaps.

The handsome man called Victor smiles amused, “Peace, little piggy – I promise we’ll hear all you have to say back in the next town, while having delicious tea and some well-deserved late lunch. Now come. Idling in the fields won’t do us any good in the long-term!”

There seems to dissolve his way out. The nameless man slumps his shoulders in defeat, shaking his head. Now also rubbing his temple to focus his thoughts. His persuasion for his escape failed or better never really started. Victor seems to find this all entertaining, the red head just more or less observes and the horseman stares at him as if he would think about stabbing him any second for breathing…

How can something like this even happen?

And what’s with the stranger calling him little piglet or piggy?

He is only a little bit overweight. There is just a small pudge around his belly, but his mobility isn’t hindered by it. He sighs pouting, poking his fat and internally resigns himself to his upcoming fate, letting himself be led by the three strangers along a road to somewhere unknown.

The amnesiac sighs. Well, if he is in for a penny, he can as well take the whole fortune, which consists of the clothes he is currently wearing.

So, he asks more confidently than he feels while trying to gain more hopefully helpful information for him in the future, “What will you do with me? Am I to be your prisoner?”, he gulps at the image in his head.

“No worries, little piggy. We’ll let you go as soon as we establish that you’re no threat to Ylisse”, the blue-eyed man says, still in good cheer.

He ignores the piggy-comment again and focuses on his bearings.

Better not to aggravate the wolves further by being petty about strange nickname-behaviours of beautiful strangers.

“Is that where we are? A place called Ylisse?”, he asks, trying to glean as much knowledge about his current location as possible.

Maybe it would trigger some of his lost memories or any memory at all.

Yakov shoots him another death glare, the amnesiac startles ungracefully.

“And now you expect us to believe you’ve never heard of the Halidom? Ha! Someone pay this actor. He certainly can play the fool’s part well. The furrowed brow is especially convincing…”

“Yakov!”, Victor exclaims, as if he’d been the one offended, but Yakov only raises an eyebrow. The silver-haired man shakes his head and turns to the nameless stranger, “Whatever, don’t mind Yakov. We’re in the Halidom of Ylisse. Our ruler is called the Exalt. Her name’s Arina Maricheva. And, oh, I guess we may as well introduce ourselves properly too. I’m Victor Nikiforov, but you knew that already“, he winks and a blush makes its way onto the amnesiac’s cheeks, Victor grins widely at that and gestures to the woman beside him, “And this lovely lady and strong War Cleric here is my dear cousin, Mila Babicheva. She can take down a man twice her size with a single blow!”

“Damn right” Mila says smirking proudly at the praise, presenting her abs and strong muscles. The amnesiac swallows lightly.

If he had ever held any intention of trying to cause harm, he would be rethinking it this instant.

“And Mr. Suspicion over there and also our honourable Great Knight is Yakov Feltsman! It’s nothing personal against you. He’s like this with everyone he meets for the first time.”

“I would love to trust you”, Yakov says through gritted white teeth, his eyes hold a little speck of apology in their depths, “But experience tells me that it’s unwise to do so without careful evaluation.”

Victor ignores Yakov’s comment and continues with a big bright smile, full of motivation, “We’re honourable Shepherds and we protect the land around here. It’s good that we found you instead of the brigands”, the handsome man whistles thoughtfully, putting his forefinger to his lips and nodding his head while imagining the scenario, “That would’ve been a very rude awakening.”

The nameless stranger was a little overwhelmed with all the information being presented so quickly and willingly, that it takes the amnesiac a while to properly take in the conversation they were currently having.

Then confusion hits him. Where were the sheep?

And since when are Shepherds full-body equipped with armor?

Even if there are a lot of rogues around, isn’t that a bit too much?

So he asks, puzzlement still present, “Shepherds? You tend to sheep? … In full armor and with weapons?”

Victor’s smile shines brightly in the sun and turns slowly into a knowing smirk, “Heh, it’s a dangerous job. Just ask Yakov the Wary here.”

The Great Knight grunts, “A title I shall wear with pride. Gods forbid one of us keeps an appropriate level of caution. I truly have every wish to trust you, stranger, but my station mandates otherwise.”

The amnesiac still can’t make sense of their exchange, but decides to just go with the flow, leaving logic and common sense behind.

“I, uh, well, right… I understand, Sir. It’s good to be cautious… Um by the way, my name’s Yuuri… I just remembered that, I swear. I suppose that’s one mystery solved”, he says, hoping that the piggy and piglet business is now finished as well as being elated that he finally remembered his own name.

‘Because really, how can someone even forget his own name?’

Yuuri shakes his head in disbelief, then looks at his temporary travel companions and ducks his head, when Yakov’s glare intensifies two hundred-fold at the amnesiac’s revelation.

“Yuuri? Is that foreign?”, Victor asks curiously, but then he shakes his head, “Oh, wait, you don’t remember anything. That’s a shame! But I guess, we can work it out in town. Once we–”

And maybe that’s what they would have done, if Mila hadn’t suddenly stopped in her tracks, pointing forward with her finger, “Um, Victor? I don’t think that Southtown is supposed to be on fire”, she says worriedly.

They all look ahead, a burning village greeting their sight.

The silver haired man is the first to find his tongue again, “Damn it! The town is ablaze! It must be the unruly brigands! Mila, Yakov, let’s go! Quickly! We have to hurry!”, Victor draws his sword and prepares to head towards the burning town ahead.

“And what about him?”, Yakov asks gruffly, gesturing towards Yuuri, however still preparing to ride his horse at full speed. The angelic man turns around quizzically, “Is he on fire too? No? Seems not so? Then I think, he can wait”, Victor shouts, turning and sprinting towards the burning town.

Yakov and Mila follow him without a second thought and for a short while Yuuri is just dumbstruck, processing the turn of events.

If there was ever a chance of him getting away, it would be now.

But… where would he go? It could be dangerous for him to go off by himself, especially if there are dangerous arsonists hanging around.

Not to mention what other dangers might wait ahead for him when travelling alone and memoryless. So, after some time of considering the pros and cons, he comes to a decision and runs after the others.

Besides, if there’s a chance he could do anything to help, he should at least try. That has to be the right thing to do, right?

Yuuri catches up with the claimed shepherds just in time to see a group of bandits spread out, obviously ready to put up a fight.

“Yuuri!”, Victor calls out in surprise, “You followed us? Why?”

“I-I don’t know”, Yuuri admits, his heart hammering in his chest, maybe he didn’t really think this through after all...

He shakes his head. It was too late to regret his decision.

His gaze focuses on his equipment and he tries to sound confident and not on the verge of a panic attack, “But look, I found a tome and a sword on me. I seem to know my way around a fight. So, I can fight with you and help, if you’ll have me.”

Victors seems slightly unsure for a split second, then determination fills his cerulean eyes and he nods, “Just stay close.”

Yakov sighs and takes on a mentor demeanour, “Remember Yuuri, we face practiced thieves and murderers. They will grant us no quarter. If we have to it’s to kill or be killed. No holding back for us. However, if possible, try to just knock them out, so they can be trialled appropriately.”

Then Victor steps closer to Yuuri, scrutinizing the tome in his hands and the sword in the leather hilt hanging beside his waist.

“So, Yuuri, I see you wear a steel sword and is that Ice magic? Is that what you favour?”, Victor asks surprised and very curious.

“Uh, apparently. I seem to have a Thunder tome on me as well”, Yuuri says with a shrug. He still can’t remember anything about his past, but the tome feels familiar and he’s sure that he can still wield at least the Ice tome properly in battle. At least he hopes so.

“Ice tomes are my weapon of choice too”, Victor says, a faint smile blooming over his face, “Though I only brought my sword today, see”, he continues, gesturing to the fancy-looking sword in his right hand.

It seems very expensive and some kind of enigmatic power emanates from it. The sword’s radiance feels familiar, but Yuuri doesn’t know why.

The amnesiac is sure that he has never seen it before.

“Can you perhaps save this fascinating discussion for some other time, when we are not in the middle of a burning village with rogues all around us?”, Yakov snaps at them irritated.

“Yeah”, Victor responds guiltily, before turning back to Yuuri, “I’m an Ylissean Noble, so I can use swords and magic, but I am also great at strategy, so just do what I say, okay?”

“Right”, Yuuri nods his hunch verified that Victor is not a normal commoner. Not with his appearance anyway.

After that he concentrates on the upcoming battle.

Victor is clearly experienced, so Yuuri has no problem following the tactical orders he gives him. His magical attacks aren’t very powerful, but as a ranged fighter, he can stand behind the others and finish off the enemies after they’ve already been weakened or weaken them himself for the others. Somehow the fight gives him odd familiar feelings.

He can see things. Yuuri thinks that he kind of has a strange feel of the enemy’s strength, their weaponry and the flow of battle.

He wants to ignore it at first. However, sometimes even before Victor points out the next order, Yuuri would have instinctively pulled the same move or would already be casting his spells on his target.

It is truly strange like he somehow learned something about strategy and tactics some time ago. But he must ignore his inner thoughts right now.

Victor is the strategist and he would better follow his orders as he doesn’t trust his amnesiac state of mind. He knows better than that.

“Are you all right, Yuuri? Don’t rush into danger”, the handsome silver-haired man interrupts his complicated thoughts.

“I’m fine, Victor. Don’t worry”, Yuuri smiles at him.

“You’ve lent us your strength and that makes you a friend. Having an ally by my side gives me courage, as well as gives us tactical advantages in strength, defence, speed and more”, Victor grins back and Yuuri nods.

Then they once more concentrate entirely on the battle before them.

Under Victors orders they work together like clockwork.

Even though his gut instinct would sometimes give him strange ideas concerning his fights and the commands of the Ylissean Noble, Yuuri stays dutifully behind his fight comrades just as advised.

And it’s because he’s behind the others that he sees what Victor apparently does not. The leader of the bandits comes running forward, lance raised, ready to slash Victor in two, and…

“Look out!”, Yuuri cries alarmed, but there’s no way Victor can dodge the attack in time, unless…

Yuuri’s body is already moving on its own, before he has a chance to think about it, the pages of his tome crumple under the strength of his left hand’s grip as he pulls his steel sword with his right.

Yuuri’s breath gets knocked out of him as he tackles Victor, parries the lance attack with his sword and stumbles to the ground a little bit off balance. Victor curses in pain as he hits the cobble stones as well.

‘That could have gone better’, Yuuri thinks and rubs his hurting butt.

He is sure that there will be a bruise forming later on, but he doesn’t regret his impromptu made decision.

“Sorry about that”, Yuuri mumbles as they pick themselves back up and the dark-haired man puts his sword back in his hilt. It seems, he knows something about swordplay as well... Or the action he took before was just caused by poor adrenaline running through his veins. He grimaces.

“Don’t be. You may have saved my life”, Victor insists in awe, eyes wide open.

Yuuri has to turn away from the Ylissean Noble’s intense gaze, but it’s for the best anyway, the bandit leader is looking to attack again.

They resume their fighting stances again with Victor furrowing his brows, contemplating something and seemingly coming to a decision.

He turns to the amnesiac, “Stay close to me, Yuuri. I won’t let you get hurt, I promise”, Victor promises, “Also, could you let me borrow that tome? Even blessed swords have trouble against lances.”

“Uh, sure?”, Yuuri agrees, handing his weapon over and taking his sword in his hand again. He feels unsure with his steel sword, but surer than using his Thunder tome. He couldn’t really remember, how to handle it properly. But at the same time his instincts and gut tell him that everything would be fine. However, he doesn’t know, if he could trust these ‘instincts’ of his, never even considering his ‘gut feeling’ as he didn’t even know his own name some time ago. So, he hopes Victor was being serious about not letting him get hurt. On the bright side far beyond his worries, he has an excellent view of the handsome man fighting against their foe. Victor wields magic like he was born to do it, effortlessly directing swirls of ice in a way that could pass for art, were they not in the middle of a battlefield. His attacks hit harder than Yuuri’s too and the bandit leader goes down in only a couple of strikes with Yuuri blocking the counter attacks to clear Victor’s strike zone.

Their opponent slumps to the ground, completely unconscious but still breathing and for several seconds Yuuri and Victor simply stare at the unmoving body without saying a word.

“Are you… Are you going to…?”, Yuuri whispers breathless, suddenly feeling sick to his stomach.

Victor doesn’t respond for a moment, looking thoughtful, “I… I don’t kill, Yuuri, when it’s not a necessity”, the silver-haired man says slowly, “We’ll usually take them to prison to hold their trial.”

“Oh”, Yuuri murmurs, a sense of relief washing over him, “I’m… I’m glad that you don’t… you know prioritize killing over giving them a fair trial…”

“Yeah?”, the Ylissean Noble gazes at him intensely, only this time the amnesiac resists the urge to turn away. He startles, when Victor’s arm brushes against his side, but he relaxes again, when he realizes that the cerulean-eyed man is just returning the tome, he had borrowed, to Yuuri’s coat pocket.

“I guess, we should regroup with the others to talk about our next plan of action”, Victor says dazed. His hand briefly hovers over Yuuri’s shoulder, before he jerks it back to his side.

Even though nothing really happened, Yuuri blushes anyway.

“Okay. Let’s go”, the boy without memories agrees quickly, hoping desperately that his face will cool, before Yakov and Mila get a chance to see him.

* * *

The villagers help round up the unconscious bandits and take them away to their local prison cells to hold their trial before a judge for another day.

“I suppose you were useful”, Yakov tells Yuuri in the warmest tone he’s ever used with him, when they reunite.

“I’m just glad, I could help”, Yuuri says truthfully.

“Hmm. And I assume, you have no idea, where these sudden helpful skills came from, do you?”, the Great Knight continues, narrowing his eyes in suspicion again. Yuuri winces. So the older man wasn’t going to drop the matter.

“I understand your scepticism, Sir and I really can’t give you a good explanation, but…”, he bows deeply before the ominous Great Knight in submission, “Please believe me, when I say that I’ve told you everything I know”, Yuuri adds desperately. There’s no chance of him being able to run away anymore, so his only option is to put himself at the mercy of his companions. If they don’t come to trust him, then… he doesn’t want to imagine the outcome… But his mind betrays him anyway. An image of Yakov swinging his lance at the bandits pops into his head and Yuuri can’t suppress a cold shudder running down his spine at the thought.

A warm hand comes to rest on his right shoulder and Yuuri straightens again to look into bright cerulean eyes full of warmth and trust.

“You fought to save Ylissean lives and saved mine during the process without as much of a falter”, Victor says warmly, drawing the amnesiac out of his horrific imaginings, “My heart says that’s enough.”

Yakov shifts his gaze from Yuuri to give the silver-haired man a hard look of disbelief, “And what does your brain tell you, Vitya? Will you now heed its council as well?”

“My brain tells me that the Shepherds need people with talent! We’ve got brigands and unruly neighbours, all looking to bloody our soil. Would you really rather lose the opportunity of skilled fighters joining our cause to protect the peace in our beloved Halidom? And Yuuri here is certainly talented”, Victor states clearly, “Besides, I believe his story, no matter how odd it seems. He’s already earned my trust.”

Ignoring Yakov’s deep sigh and facepalm of resignation, Victor turns to the amnesiac with soft eyes full of gentleness and faith, and Yuuri finds himself deeply blushing again.

“Th-thank you, Victor”, he manages to choke out embarrassed, but deeply touched all the same. He feels so incredibly warm and his heart flutters softly. Victor smiles broadly at him, increasing the dark-haired man’s heart rate at the radiance of his smile.

“So how about it? Will you join us, Yuuri? We’ll pay you, of course, and we can set you up with housing and, well, you have weapons already, but when they break, we can cover that too. What do you say?”, the Ylissean Noble asks kindly. Yuuri gapes surprised at that.

In a matter of fact, Yuuri is an amnesiac with nowhere to turn to and he can’t possibly refuse this generously proposed offer given him on a silver platter. He would be foolish to do so. Very very foolish.

More importantly, he doesn’t want to refuse it.

In the short time he’s known them, Yuuri’s already come to like Victor and Mila, and even Yakov is starting to grow on him a little.

If joining the Shepherds means he can keep spending time with them, then he can’t even imagine finding a better job.

“I would be honoured”, Yuuri answers grinning widely.

The two smile at each other fondly for a few heartbeats, then Yakov clears his throat to get their attention, frowning and turns to Victor with a stern face, “Vitya, you did notice that the brigands spoke with a Plegian accent, didn’t you?”, the Great Knight states, having decided to ignore the issue of their new companion for now.

“Plegian? What’s that?”, Yuuri asks, ducking his head when Yakov gives him an incredulous glance, “Never mind! I shouldn’t have said anything! Forget I mentioned it!”, Yuuri laughs nervously, waving both of his arms dismissively in hope to cover up his increasing interest.

But Victor answers his question anyway, “Plegia is Ylisse’s neighbour to the west. They send small groups of fighters into our territory, trying to…”, the silver-haired man interrupts himself with a tired sigh, “Trying to instigate war.”

“It’s the poor and innocent townsfolk, who suffer the most”, Mila adds sadly, but then her demeanour changes into one of duty and she continues proudly, “That’s why the Shepherds send out patrols all the time. We just want to keep the people safe.”

“And we thank you for it, Milady”, one of the younger villagers speaks up, bowing gratefully before them, “Without your aid, we surely would have perished.”

“We were just doing out duty, Sir”, Victor says, giving the villager a charming smile.

“Milord, please! You must stay the night! We are folks of simple means, but we would gladly toast your valour with a feast!”, the villager insists.

“Your offer is generous, but we must hurry back to Ylisstol”, Yakov says politely rejecting the offer of gratitude.

“That’s our capitol”, Mila whispers into Yuuri’s ear for explanation.

Victor, however, hadn’t noticed Yakov’s response, “Yes, thank you! I like most types of meat, so you are free to choose, but maybe you can bring out some of each, because my friend here doesn’t remember, what he likes, and— Wait, what?”, Victor says in surprise, “We’re not staying? But Yakov, it’s almost dark!”

“Vitya, do you really want to eat these folks out of house and home, when we have plenty to eat back in Ylisstol?”, Yakov asks in a low voice.

“No…”, Victor says dejectedly, “Fine, let’s hurry back.”

They give their greetings to the villagers and fill their water supplies before heading out in the direction of the capitol of Ylisse.

As they walk on the road to the city, Victor falls in step beside Yuuri.

“Yakov’s so mean to me, Yuuri. He wouldn’t even let us have a couple of drinks before we left”, he says with an exaggerated pout.

Yuuri giggles internally. The amnesiac has the impression that the silver-haired swordsman is a very dramatic and emotional character by nature.

The Ylissean Noble stares at his companion waiting and the magic user notices that he hasn’t responded to him yet.

“Ah… Yes, I can see that Yakov is a very strict lieutenant”, Yuuri says quietly, glancing nervously at said lieutenant.

The handsome man with cerulean eyes chuckles knowingly.

“You could call it that. However, I might have another way of phrasing it myself”, Victor says grimly, his eyes filling with mischief, “Let’s just say that if Yakov smiles, someone is in serious trouble.”

Said Great Knight clears his throat, clearly annoyed, “You do realize that I am still present?”, he asks sarcastically, shooting daggers with his stare at the both of them to finish their gossip.

“Oh, we realize”, Victor mutters rolling his blue eyes, drawing out a muffled snicker from Yuuri.

“Vitya, you remain as amusing as ever. Now be quiet and keep moving forward. We can’t have you wasting time any longer”, Yakov snaps angrily at his mentee.

Victor shares a look with Yuuri and grins, but says nothing more.

And the four continue to walk in the direction of Ylisstol, entering a forest as the sun slowly vanishes beyond the horizon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey again^^
> 
> Hope you liked the chapter - I am really enjoying writing this story <3  
> Have a nice day!
> 
> Love, Ria


	3. Unwelcome Change

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Yuuri accompanies Victor, Mila and Yakov to the capital city of Ylisse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey again^^
> 
> I hope you are ready for the next chap!! ;-)
> 
> Also thank you very much for your support!  
> I'll try my best to write, when I find the time!
> 
> Hope you enjoy the story!
> 
> All the best!
> 
> Love, Ria

Their walk in the forest turns out to be a harsher one than expected, especially with the fall of night, it isn’t as easy to manoeuvre through the unruly grounds as in daylight. Yuuri isn’t as bothered by the darkness as Mila and Victor though. When the road through the forest gets too undistinguishable because of the loss of daylight the amnesiac snips his fingers absentmindedly and a ball of light appears to lead their way.

His other three companions muster him speechless for some time, but Yuuri just shrugs, not knowing how he did what he did. Victor is the first to recover and just go with the flow. The Ylissean Nobel starts telling ghost stories to Mila and Yuuri about lost children in the woods, jack-o’-lanterns and will-o’-the-wisps, trying to spook them. However, the further they wander into the covert, the darker it gets and the Ylissean Noble starts to get impatient at a certain realization.

“Yakov, it’s totally dark! Now we’re going to have to sleep outside! Think about what this is going to do to my looks”, Victor complains, dragging a hand through his long hair, “And there are bugs flying around everywh—Agh! Won goph in mah mouph! Blech! Ptooey!”

Mila laughs so hard that she doubles over.

The wounded look Victor sends her only makes her laugh more.

“Maybe that will teach you to keep your mouth shut, Vitya”, she teases him, clapping him friendly on the shoulder to appease him.

“I think I swallowed it”, Victor whines horrified, “I can’t believe we have to camp out here and eat bugs just to survive.” He dramatically puts a hand over his head, swooning like a young maiden before she faints.

The Great Knight purposefully ignores him, while rolling his eyes at his pupil’s stupid and overdramatic antics.

“If someone would pick up his sword and go hunting, we might have some real food to eat”, Yakov points out, looking pointedly at Victor.

“Yeah, Vitya. Go get us some food, already”, Mila snickers enthusiastically, hopping from one foot to another in a childish manner.

Yakov looks pointedly at her too and she immediately stops her playfulness.

“And perhaps if someone else had an axe, we could chop wood and have a fire going by the time he gets back.”

“Uh… yeah”, Mila says sheepishly as Victor laughs at her in revenge.

“And we still need to clear a campsite. I’ll start on that, and…”, Yakov glances at Yuuri and suddenly, the amnesiac comes to the horrible realization that he is about to be left all alone with Yakov, safe for his mysterious ball of light, lightening up their way.

“I’ll help Victor hunting! He needs some light to know where he is going”, he blurts out, glancing apologetically at Victor for basically inviting himself without any discussion beforehand.

But Victor looks thrilled instead, “That’s a great idea! You can scare out the prey with your magic! I do it all the time and we will find our way back easier with some light to guide us in the dark”, he says cheerfully.

And the next thing Yuuri knows is that Victor grabs him by the hand and is practically dragging him out deeper into the depths of the forest.

His heart beats quickly at the warmth of their joined hands and he wonders if this was really a good idea.

* * *

After a victorious hunt, the two men drag their prey back to the camp with a look of resignation from Victor’s side at their loot. Mila and Yakov are waiting around a fire for them, having cleared a place for sleeping too.

Yuuri and Yakov start preparing the meat, while Mila and Victor try to ignore the butchering of the animal right in front of them. The Great Knight however seems to be impressed with the amnesiac’s skill for meal preparation. Yuuri even adds some strange herbs from his pocket, swearing it isn’t poison, but some flavouring to let the meat taste better. At Yakov’s furrowed brow of suspicion, he just shrinks into himself, only spraying the herbs over his portion before starting the roasting in full concentration.

After a while the Great Knight distributes their food around the campfire. The Ylissean Noble grimaces at his dinner, tapping on it suspiciously.

“Bear meat…”, Victor whines sadly as they are well seated around the campfire to indulge in their food.

“Well, I think it’s great! Plus, this thing’s huge!”, Mila says, excitedly waving a chunk of meat around, “If you’re not going to eat it, give me your share. Or give it to Yuuri.”

Yuuri, who’s busy stuffing himself with as much meat he can fit in his hands, looks up, but he doesn’t stop eating.

“Yuuri, I thought you’d have better taste, at least!”, Victor exclaims in sheer horror. Yuuri stares at him incredulously, pointedly shoving another piece of meat into his mouth.

“You know, I can’t remember the last time I ate anything?”, he asks in between bites, “And the spices do let it taste better.”

“Oh!”, Victor’s hand flies over his heart, ignoring his statement about the spices, “That’s so tragic! I guess anything would taste good when you’re on the brink of starvation!”

“Be quiet and eat your bear, Vitya”, Yakov grumbles from his seat next to Victor, rolling his eyes at his pupil.

“Hey, I don’t see you eating it either”, the Ylissean Noble protests.

“I am an old man”, the horseman says tiredly, “I have eaten more than my fair share of bear meat in the entirety of my life and I am not hungry enough to eat it again.”

Victor pouts annoyed and places a strip of meat covered by Yuuri’s herbs into his mouth.

‘Yuuri is right. The herbs do let it taste better.’

* * *

They’re all starting to get tired, and Yuuri is about to ask if it’s okay to go to sleep when he notices Victor freeze in his place.

The others notice too and turn to him questioningly.

“What’s the matter, Vitya?”, Mila asks with a yawn, only waiting for the okay to go to sleep.

“Something… Something is wrong…”, Victor says slowly, his body tense and cautious.

“Can you be more specific?”, Mila asks in concern, clearly alarmed.

“I don’t know, I… I’ll just go look around”, Victor says, standing up.

“Alone? I don’t think so”, Mila stands up as well.

“I don’t think we should get separated”, Yuuri adds, a foreboding feeling rising in his chest.

“He’s got a point. We’ll all go”, Yakov concurs determined.

“Well, I guess… It’s probably nothing, but… thanks, everyone”, Victor says quietly. But as they walk, it becomes obvious that it’s not nothing.

“It’s so dark. And quiet”, Mila whispers, but the sound carries in the silence, “Normally you’d hear the insects at least or the alpha wolf howl or I don’t know, something I guess, but…”

“Something is wrong here”, Victor repeats his statement from before, but he can’t yet pinpoint what isn’t right exactly. Just as he wants to turn around to have another look around, the earth begins to shake beneath their feet and they all stumble, trying to balance themselves.

A crack appears in the ground just ahead of them and slowly it spreads into a larger and larger fissure, until…

“Run”, Victor says forcefully, “We have to run.”

The ground surges upward, pushed from below by the fire that now spills out around them, setting the forest ablaze. Fireballs rain down on them as they flee, but somehow, they make it safely to the edge of the forest without any harm. Nevertheless, that doesn’t mean they are safe. The air in front of them seems to shift as a ball of white light appears in the sky.

“What… is that?”, Mila gasps at the magic enigma.

Suddenly, the light explodes and is replaced with a dark void.

Runes appear out of nowhere to encircle it and in the centre an arc of crystals appears, expanding upward into a circle. A vortex of blue light inside the crystals opens to let several bodies fall out with a thump, when they hit the ground.

‘These things are not people’, Yuuri concludes in his mind.

Their greyish bodies sport armor and weapons, but their eyes, glowing a nefarious shade of red, could not belong to any human being on the planet.

Something about these creatures tugs at Yuuri’s mind, but no memories are forthcoming and he can’t afford to dwell on it right this instant.

Victor and Yakov draw their weapons at the same time, when the creatures start running towards their group. They slash at the monsters in unison, but defeating them only causes them to dissolve into a shadowy cloud and disappear into thin air without a trace.

Too late Yuuri realizes that the monsters outnumber them.

Two of them lumber towards him and he finds himself trapped, pressed up against a tree. He pulls out his tome, but he can’t see any way to hit one without opening himself to the other’s attack. Victor, Yakov and Mila all have monsters of their own to deflect, so Yuuri is alone.

He takes a deep breath, readying his magic. If he has to go down like this, he can at least take one of the strange creatures down with him.

But just as he’s about to make his final move, a blond-haired masked figure in an outfit close to Victor’s heroically jumps between him and the monsters, shielding Yuuri with his sword behind his back.

“Victor!”, the masked figure shouts impatient.

The shout draws the silver-haired man over immediately and together the two swordsmen slash the enemies back to shadows.

“Yuuri! Are you okay?”, Victor asks worriedly, immediately running to him and checking him for injuries.

“I’m fine”, Yuuri says dazedly, his eyes still locked on his masked saviour with his shoulder long blond hair. Victor follows his gaze.

For a moment they just stand there, the three of them lost in their own world. Eventually, Victor breaks the comfortable silence.

“That was quite a dramatic entrance”, he says slowly, his voice serious but still friendly, “What’s your name?”

The masked man’s lips twist into a grimace and he turns his face away.

“Vitya!”, Yakov shouts, sprinting over as quickly as he can.

“Vitya! Yuuri!”, Mila echoes, “What happened?”

“Has anyone been injured?”, Yakov questions worriedly, “Mila, do you have a staff on you?” Mila grabs her staff from her hilt nodding, checking the two man for any visible injuries, while they both remain still.

“Are such horrific creatures commonplace in these lands?”, Yuuri tries to find his bearings again, still not comprehending what just had happened a few minutes ago.

“They’re not from Ylisse. I promise you that”, Victor explains and turns to Yakov with a clear mind again, “No Yakov, we’re not injured.”

The amnesiac turns to the Great Knight and Mila as well.

“Right. This masked man got here before I was hurt. If it wasn’t for him, I’d be…”, Yuuri adds and gestures towards where his mysterious saviour had just been standing, but nobody is there, “Uh… where did he go?”

“We can worry about that later. There are more of these things we have to defeat. Eyes open, now. And concentrate, we know nothing about this kind of enemy”, Yakov lets his eyes wander over the remaining creatures.

“Yuuri, I want you to cover me”, Victor demands, concentrating on their upcoming fight with conviction, “Cast if there’s an opportunity, but don’t go off on your own.”

“Okay”, Yuuri agrees easily, “You’re the strategist.”

It’s probably for the best that they stick together. Though the creatures they’re fighting move slowly, they also have an awful habit of sneaking up behind you, while you’re busy with another one of their brethren.

At first, both sides seem equally matched, but then the tides turn in the Shepherds’ favour with the arrival of two more fighters.

“Phichit! You made it back!”, Victor calls, though he isn’t able to turn away from the creature he’s locked in combat with.

“And just in time, obviously!”, the lively Mercenary yells back, quickly unsheathing his steel sword, while another figure joins the fight.

“Who’s that with you?”, Victor asks, finally breaking through his enemy’s defences to land a hit.

“It’s been a long time, cheri”, a man says smoothly in response.

“Chris!”, Victor gasps, but whether it’s from surprise or exertion, Yuuri can’t tell, “What are you doing here?”

“Helping”, Chris replies shortly.

Victor stabs one of the monsters, using the few seconds it takes the creature to dissolve as an opportunity to scan the battlefield.

“Yuuri and I are good here. Chris, set up next to Yakov and finish off his enemies with your bow”, Victor orders confidently, “Phichit, go take over for Mila. Let her heal whoever needs it.”

They finish things quickly after that.

* * *

“It seems that the creatures have been vanquished. This young man took care of the rest of them”, Yakov tells them, apparently having caught the squirming masked man before he could escape again.

Said masked man appears particularly uncomfortable to be here.

He reminds Yuuri of a stubborn little kitten pouting and struggling to get free from his captor. He must be around 12 years according to his height and his stature the magic user concludes. The amnesiac wonders how such a young boy would be alone in the woods without any guardian and capable of fighting such atrocious monsters.

“Um…”, Yuuri starts, feeling slightly embarrassed for having to be saved by a stranger, nevertheless grateful for the bravery of the young unknown boy, “I never got to thank you for before, so… Yeah… Thank you. You were very brave.”

The masked man stops to stir at that and stares the magic user straight in the eyes full of an unknown emotion that Yuuri can’t place and… is that a blush dusting the stranger’s cheeks?

But then Victor strives forward and the dreamlike state breaks.

“You saved my friend, when I couldn’t!”, Victor exclaims gratefully, “I can’t thank you enough! I’m Victor, by the way. What’s your name?”

The masked man grimaces bitterly, answering with only a single word, “Marth.”

Victor nods appreciatively, “Marth, huh? Were you named after the legendary Hero King of old? You certainly fight like a hero. Where’d you learn to use a sword like that?”, he chatters away amicably, ignoring the other deflating mood.

For some reason, though, the last question makes Marth especially angry.

“Shut up!”, he yells with venom and something more vulnerable, “I didn’t come here to talk about me!”

Marth opens his mouth, presumably to yell some more, but then he seems to think better of it, shaking his head as if to clear his mind.

“Focus. You need to listen closely”, he takes a deep breath, “This world teeters on the brink of a horrible calamity. What you saw tonight was but a prelude. You have been warned.” And then he abruptly whirls around, running off into the forest with his cape billowing behind him.

“Well, that was… something”, Mila says dazedly, “I almost feel like that’s something Victor would do.”

“It looked cool”, Victor admits, but he doesn’t sound very happy, “But what did he mean by that? Tonight was just a prelude? Are more of those creatures going to appear?” Chris and Phichit just shrug their shoulders, they also don’t know anything about the strange monsters they encountered and fought against.

“We need to hurry back to Ylisstol and talk to the Exalt about Ylisse’s current situation”, Yakov says darkly.

Victor nods, deep in thought, “Yes, let’s go. The sooner we arrive the better. We can sleep after giving our report.”

Mila sighs deeply, marching behind their ‘leader’, while Yuuri snips his fingers to summon a ball of light to guide them through the rest of the night and they take up their march to the capital city of Ylisse without looking back once and hence, not noticing the longing stare of emerald eyes in the shadows hidden behind the trees of the forest.

* * *

The six companions are very tired from their travel, staying silent the whole time, trying to gather as much energy for their march as possible, before they would have the opportunity to rest. They arrive two hours after sunbreak at the city gates of Ylisse’s capitol, Yuuri is suddenly wide awake, staring at the masterpiece towering before him in interest and relief. Ylisstol is beautiful and lively and fortunately, not under attack by any strange monsters or natural catastrophes.

“So this is Ylisstol, the capitol of Ylisse… I’ve never seen so many people!”, Yuuri states excited, trying to take everything in.

“Thank the gods”, Victor sighs with relief, Chris patting his back, “The quake must have been limited to the forest.”

“Well, that’s a relief!”, Mila sighs as well.

They pass the city gates and march up the main street. When they stop in front of a big fountain in the middle of a town square with a male sculpture holding up a sword in a heroic posture, Phichit and Chris turn to Victor smiling. “We will go ahead to the Shepherd’s garrison to get some rest and beauty sleep in. See you later, cheri!”, the Archer exclaims, turning and waving his right hand at them.

The Mercenary giggles and waves both of his hands, “See you all later!”

The Ylissean Nobles hums in acknowledgement and guides Yakov, Mila and Yuuri farther north through a marketplace. The magic user is still in awe at all the people swirling and twirling around left and right.

He just wants to ask, where they are heading, when a shout comes from down the street, so they hurry over.

“Look! The Exalt has come to see us!”, someone exclaims.

In the distance, Yuuri can see an elegant gold-haired woman with deep emerald eyes and a strange symbol on her forehead strolling along the street, her guards trailing behind her. The noble lady wears a long white-golden robe with many layers, a golden tiara and long white gloves.

As she walks, she raises her hand in greeting to the people.

“The Exalt is your ruler, right?”, Yuuri asks worriedly at the public display and counting the guards around the ruler of Ylisse, “Is it safe for her to be out in the open like this?”

“Hmph. Lady Arina holds no fear. She would be offended if you told her to stay inside”, Yakov mutters gruffly, “Regardless, the people need to see her. She is a symbol of peace – Ylisse’s most prized quality. Long ago, at the dawn of our age, the Fell Dragon tried to destroy the world. But the first Exalt joined forces with the Divine Dragon and laid the beast low. Exalt Arina reminds us all of the peace we fought for then.”

“With Plegia poking at our borders, the people need her. She’s a calming presence, when some might otherwise call for war”, Mila adds with a grin.

“Then the Ylissean people are indeed lucky to have her.”, Yuuri smiles widely and full of respect for the Exalt and her duties.

Victor chuckles softly, “She’s all peace in public, but don’t let that fool you. Granny’s really scary, when she wants to be!”, he says with a laugh.

“That’s because you keep calling her ‘Granny’, Vitya!”, Mila responds, rolling her eyes, “You know she wants us to call her Grandmother, so it’s your own fault if she gets mad at you.”

“But Grandmother is so formal”, Victor complains, “I don’t want to feel like I’m in a meeting every time we have breakfast together.”

“Wait a minute”, Yuuri interrupts, trying to gather his thoughts, “If she’s your grandmother, then that means… That means you’re…”, the revelation hits him full force and the poor dark-haired man doesn’t know how to react.

“The prince and princess, yes”, Yakov says flatly at the magic user’s speechlessness, “You remember Victor’s name and not his status?”

“B-By the gods… You said you were Shepherds and… You never mentioned…”, Yuuri says shakily, their status dawning on him.

“We are shepherds! Well, in a manner of speaking”, Victor explains matter-of-factly, “It’s a metaphor, see. The people are the precious little sheep, and—“

“I get it!”, Yuuri snaps, before he realizes with horror that he’s snapping at a prince, “I’m so sorry, Victor! I mean Prince Victor! Milord! Please forgive my dreadful manners! Maybe I was raised in a barn; I don’t know! I’m very sorry! Please forgive this ungrateful servant!”

“Wow, Yuuri. I don’t know how I will ever recover from this dreadful insult to my person”, Victor deadpans, though he can only hold his serious expression for a couple of seconds before he bursts into laughter, “You don’t really think I care much about formalities, do you? You can just call me ‘Victor’ like before. Forget that, I want you to call me ‘Victor’, okay?”

He smiles at the dark-haired man in a way that gets the amnesiac’s heart hammering at a rapid pace again, feeling warm and cosy.

“Okay”, Yuuri agrees, staring at his feet, his suddenly dry throat making it difficult to speak, “If that’s what you want.”

“It is”, Victor says softly, stepping closer to Yuuri’s side.

He wraps an arm around the amnesiac’s shoulder and the magic wielder stiffens instinctually. And yet, he can’t bring himself to pull away either. He relaxes after a small amount of time adjusting himself in the light embrace, humming to get over his nerves.

“The prince and the princess… That explains why Yakov tolerates all the teasing, eh?”, Yuuri smirks playfully after overcoming the shock.

“Indeed. Oh, the sacrifices I make for the good of the realm…”, Yakov sighs deeply looking exhausted. The amnesiac feels sympathetic for him.

“But why do you all have different surnames then? And why do Yakov and Mila call you ‘Vitya’ instead of ‘Victor’? Do you also have a symbol on your body like the Exalt?”, Yuuri furrows his eyebrows deep in thought. Victor giggles amused and indulgent.

“First of in our country it is tradition that specific people are allowed to call someone by pet names instead of their full name. For instance, ‘Vitya’ is a nickname for Victor and reserved for family only and as Yakov knows me since I was a small baby, he is entitled to use it too. There is also a different version for lovers”, he smirks at the amnesiac, “However, my friends simply call me ‘Victor’ instead of ‘Your Highness’ or other titles. So, you have the privilege of calling me by my given name, Yuuri”, the prince winks at the black-haired man, at which the magic user turns bright red, “And to answer your second question our surname comes from our godparent. It is an Ylissean tradition in the royal family that’s why family relations can be very confusing. And about the last one, mostly everyone in the family, who is a legitimate heir able to wield the Blessed Sword Falchion, has the so-called ‘Mark of the Exalt’ on their body. There are a few exceptions though and yes, Yuuri. I have the Mark on my right upper arm. It’s just always mostly covered by my clothes”, the Ylissean noble explains excitedly and then smirks coyly, “Should I strip, so you can see?”

The magic user shakes his head vehemently, a pink hue building on his cheeks and the prince laughs heartily, “I was just teasing you. Don’t worry! I won’t strip, at least not in public, where everyone can see!”

Yuuri is still embarrassed, when imagining a half-naked prince, but decides to forget about the picture in his head immediately and decides to look up to Victor wanting to ask him more about their traditions, but the royal isn’t even looking at him anymore, instead watching his grandmother turn around and proceed back in the direction of the palace.

“I guess it was just a short visit. She’s heading back now”, Victor says matter-of-factly and then he does look at Yuuri smiling brightly and amicably, “Do you want to meet her?”

Yuuri is not entirely sure that he wants to meet this really scary grandmother at all, but Victor’s giving him that particular smile again and so he just nods, hoping his decision was the right one.

“Great! Let’s go, everyone. We can’t keep Granny waiting!”, the prince of Ylisse says excitedly, starting to walk forward with Yuuri in tow.

To the amnesiac’s embarrassment he does not remove his hand from Yuuri’s shoulder on the way to the Imperial Palace of Ylisse.

* * *

Yuuri thought the city as beautiful, but the palace is on an entirely different level. The various and playful frescos are artfully crafted, the gardens beautifully planned and nurtured and the hallways so grand and the halls even bigger. Everything is sparkling and clean. Yuuri swallows.

He hadn’t paid much thought to his appearance up to this point.

He did, after all, have more important problems to worry about before.

But in the lavishly decorated halls of the palace, he feels self-conscious of the dirt in his hair and the ripped clothing covering his body.

The puzzled stares of the servants and the amused to disgusted giggles of the ladies in waiting they pass by are not helping his already shattered self-esteem either. Yuuri is even more embarrassed, when Victor starts winking at them charmingly and then pointing out places to the amnesiac without realising his inner turmoil at getting more attention from spectators. He only feels worse when Victor leaves his side to run over to his grandmother Arina in the throne room, who is focused on a conversation with one of her advisors. The female advisor has a stern look, dark hair, which is styled into a tight bun and sharp, lime-green eyes and wears a light-yellow robe with long sleeves and a lilac overcoat.

She is taller than the Exalt by an inch and has a straight posture.

Yuuri thinks that she possibly practices some sort of dance like ballet.

He gets the feeling that one shouldn’t mess with her or they would without fail deeply regret it for the rest of their lives. The other advisors seem to have different coloured robes and immediately bowed and excused themselves after seeing the prince heading towards the Exalt.

One particular individual in a golden coloured robe raised his eyebrows in interest at Yuuri, with the amnesiac immediately curtsying for an informal greeting and getting an enigmatic nod in response, before exiting the grand and spacious room.

“Grann—ahem, I mean, grandmother”, Victor starts, his entire demeanour shifting and bowing to the ruler gracefully. The Exalt stops her conversation with the stern looking woman and turns to him.

“We took care of the brigands”, the prince continues in a neutral tone, standing straight again with royal conduct and posture, “Those bandits won’t bother us again for a while.”

“And our people?”, Arina, the Sage asks calmly.

“They’re safe”, Victor assures her, “But we still need to keep an eye on our borders. The outlaws crossed over from Plegia.”

‘He’s acting like the perfect prince now’, Yuuri thinks astonished, ‘It’s almost like looking at an entirely different person.’

Another woman with light blue hair, amber eyes and dresses in silver armor steps forward, “Forgive me, Milady, Milord. My Pegasus Knights should have intercepted them, when they entered the Halidom. I apologize for your inconvenience, Milord. And swear to strengthen the patrols.”

She bows apologetically to Arina and then to Victor.

The prince shakes his head, “No, Phila. Your duty as the head of the Pegasus Squad is here, protecting the Exalt. And besides, we had plenty of help this time around, so everything was fine”, the Ylissean Noble gestures to her to stop apologizing and raise her head again.

Phila seems still inclined to take the blame for the incident.

However, she stops bowing after another wave of the prince’s hand and turns to the Exalt for her word.

“I see”, Arina says, frowning on the word help, giving a look to the female advisor from before, who is staring sharply at Yuuri.

Then her gaze shifts as well to the unknown man and the Sage inclines her head in his direction, evaluating her grandson’s help, “Who is this young man, Vitya?”

Victor glances back and he gives Yuuri a quick, reassuring smile before smoothing back into a diplomatic expression to make his case.

“This is Yuuri. He fought bravely with us against the brigands. I’ve decided to make him one of the Shepherds”, the noble says smoothly.

“Is that so?”, the Sage murmurs thoughtfully, observing Yuuri a bit longer as well as the conviction of her heir, “Well, Victor, the Shepherds are your personal forces, so I suppose you can do as you wish with them.”

“Forgive me, Your Grace, but I must speak up”, Yakov raises his voice to break into the conversation, “Yuuri claims to have lost his memory, but it is only that: a claim. We cannot rule out the possibility that he is himself a brigand or even a Plegian spy to infiltrate Ylisse to gather information.”

“Yakov!”, Victor bursts out angrily, sounding betrayed, “After everything he’s done for us, you still think—“

The Exalt silences him with a wave of her hand.

“Yakov makes a fair point”, the Exalt says and before the prince can protest any further, she continues, “And yet you felt the need to bring him to the castle, Vitya. Does this man have your trust?”

“He does”, the Ylissean Noble says confidently, “He risked his life to save our people. That’s enough for me.”

Hearing Victor’s words makes Yuuri feel warm and cherished, a small smile stretches across his face in gratefulness.

“Well then, Yuuri…”, Arina turns her attention to him and he gulps, his body tensing, “It seems you’ve earned Vitya’s faith, and as such you have mine as well. Do make sure not to break it.”

“M-Milady”, Yuuri says in what he hopes sounds like a respectful tone, bowing deeply before her. The head of Ylisse nods and turns away from him, so Yuuri assumes that she found him acceptable. Hopefully.

“But thank you, Yakov, for your prudence, as always. Vitya and Mila are blessed to have a guardian such as yourself. I do hope they remember to mention that from time to time…”, her gaze graces over Victor and Mila, who sheepishly try to withstand her scolding eyes.

“They occasionally seem to express something akin to gratitude, Your Grace”, the Grand Knight curtsies promptly and then turns to the leader of the Pegasus Knights, “Phila, I assume you’ve heard about the deathly creatures we encountered, yes?”, Yakov stresses their newest threat to their beloved Halidom.

“Yes, Milord. They’ve been sighted all across the lands and forests of Ylisse recently”, Phila’s answer came with a perfect salute.

“Victor, we are about to hold council in the meeting room. You’ll join us”, her Grace orders with finality.

“Of course”, Victor agrees, bowing, internally being frustrated that he didn’t get a wink of sleep and has to be stuck with boring discussions.

At that Mila takes the amnesiac’s hand to get his attention, nodding a silent agreement to the crown prince.

“Come with me, Yuuri. That was the evident hint for us to leave for their discussion to start. I have something more exciting for you in exchange for our leave. There’s a place I really have to show you”, the War Cleric says quietly, gesturing to the grand door, he had entered the artistic throne room before, “Oh, but I’ll wait to let Vitya take you on the grand tour. I don’t want to spoil his fun showing you around our home. I’m sure he’s just distraught that he has to attend that council meeting.”

“He doesn’t like meetings, does he?”, Yuuri frowns empathetically, “I feel bad for him that he is forced to attend something he doesn’t like and feels uncomfortable with. But well… It is his duty…”

“Oh, you should”, the princess says with a smirk, “Those meetings are hell. If Victor ever invites you to one, just a small, sisterly advice from my side: run for your life.”

“Uh… okay”, Yuuri agrees, his eyes blinking confused, “But why would Victor invite me even to a council meeting? I don’t know anything about politics or the state of Ylisse.”

Mila tries to hide a laugh until they are out of the throne room and turn around the next corner to not be overheard by the elders, the knights or the gossip loving servants. Yuuri is just too precious.

They both take a few glances sideways, then the red head shrugs amused and leans into Yuuri’s space to whisper into his ear carefully.

“Neither does half the council. Most would be useless without Lilia’s guidance”, Mila mutters as quietly as she can, then giggles at Yuuri’s confused face, “Lilia Baranovskaya, she was the advisor near grandmother during the audience. The one with the sharp eagle eye look, that says ‘Don’t mess with me or you will regret it’. She is a Valkyrie with specialisation in Thunder magic and practices ballet for discipline and posture, as she always states in her lessons. Lilia is also our mentor and…”, then she mumbles something inaudible while dragging him along through the halls of the castle to some unknown place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey again!
> 
> I hope that I could give you an enjoyable third chapter^^  
> If you liked it, I am very happy for Kudos and Comments!!!
> 
> I try my best with the next chap!
> 
> All the best and stay safe and healthy!
> 
> Love, Ria


	4. Shepherds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri meets a great part of the Shepherds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey (finally) again!
> 
> I hope you are all doing well!  
> I'm so sorry for not writing for months! I have a bad case of writer's block and with the pandemic a lot of trouble in my private and work live :-/  
> I think you all know what I mean.
> 
> But all that aside, I wish you a lot of fun with the story (if you still want to continue reading it! - I am working on my other works as well - but as I said very bad case of writer's block)
> 
> All the best! And stay healthy!!
> 
> Love, Ria

They turn around too many corners for Yuuri to create some kind of map in his head, before they exit the palace going somewhere south again, passing the knights barracks on their way. The red-haired princess him through a side-way of a garden and suddenly they are standing in front a big old house coloured in beige and shadowed by surrounding apple trees.

“Here we are, the Shepherd’s garrison!”, Mila announces, bouncing from one foot to the other, “Make yourself at home”, she adds invitingly, when the War Cleric opens the door to let the magic user in.

Not that Yuuri can possibly get comfortable when every pair of eyes in the room immediately turn to look at him, the interesting newcomer.

“… Hi…”, Yuuri says quietly and full of nerves, unable to come up with a better greeting due to his anxiety rising up.

All at once, everyone starts chattering and crowding his space.

“Wow, Mila, you brought a pretty one this time!”, a dark-haired woman with purple eyes in a dark violet knight suit says happily.

“Sara, I haven’t seen you in three days and all you can say is that he’s pretty?”, the red head asks in mock offense.

“Oh, goodness! Forgive me, Mila, for not complimenting you! Your radiant beauty was too much for me to look at!”, the female Knight apologizes with a playful laugh.

“Sara, you don’t really think that this guy is pretty or do you? Sara? Sara?”, another Knight with short brown hair, dark purple eyes and a black knight suit asks grumpily. Judging by his appearance, Yuuri assumes he must be related to her, probably her brother.

“I don’t know, Michele. I kinda think he’s pretty too”, a Cavalier with messy light brown hair, blue eyes and a short brown beard in a green knight suit interjects, “It’s not every day we see a new face around here! Maybe we should be a little more welcoming.”

“Emil’s right, Mickey!”, Sara agrees, “Don’t be mean just because you’re jealous!”, then she turns to Yuuri again, “My name is Sara Crispino and this is my brother Michele. The other one is Emil Nekola. It’s great to have a new addition to our little family. My you are sooo pretty and cute! He is, isn’t he, Mila?”

The red-head just chuckles at her friend’s antics.

Yuuri feels a blush rise to his face. It feels strange to be spoken about as if he isn’t there and it feels even stranger to be called, of all things, pretty and then to be included in the family as it is nothing.

“Hey”, someone says to him, poking Yuuri in the side, “Yuuri, right? My name’s Phichit Chulanont! But it’s Phichit or Phi among friends!”

Yuuri turns to face the smiling man in a light brown battle suit, grateful that at least someone is willing to actually speak to him directly without being kind of weird.

“I remember. You helped us out in the forest”, Yuuri says gratefully and smiles, “You’re very skilled with your sword.”

“Thanks! I’ve been a Mercenary for years, so I should hope, I’d have some skills”, the short young man with tan skin, black hair and dark grey eyes responds cheerily, “What about you and that magic, though? You were casting really quickly to keep up with Victor, but you didn’t even break a sweat, while doing so. That’s incredible!“

“Ah! Y-You were watching me fight?”, Yuuri asks, blushing faintly, “My magic’s not very powerful, but with Victor doing most of the hard work, it wasn’t too bad finishing the creatures off.”

“Don’t sell yourself short, Yuuri!”, Phichit insists, “I’ve fought beside Victor before and he usually outpaces me within a minute. I can hold his extra vulneraries for him though!”, he continues laughing.

Then Phichit focuses on his hilt and the steel sword.

“Seems like you even know something about swordsmanship”, his eyes start to shimmer, “Maybe we can have some training sessions together!”

Yuuri scratches his neck nervously, “That would be great, since I don’t remember much of my training before Victor, Yakov and Mila found me. Furthermore, I still don’t know where I hail from and what I was doing lying on the grass…But training sounds really good for testing the waters. I think, I will take you up on that offer, Phichit.”

“The pleasure is mine, Yuuri!”, Phichit shakes his hand on it, “I feel it in my bones that we will be the bestest of friends sometime soon!”

And Yuuri believes him instantly. Phichit seems to be a kindred spirit by nature, full of energy and happiness. A truly social butterfly. And as easy-going as he was, the amnesiac doesn’t doubt that their friendship would develop at full speed in a very short amount of time.

He just hopes that he will get along with the others as well.

As if on cue another familiar face enters the hideout and directly heads for Yuuri and Phichit. It is the Archer named Chris, Victor’s friend, if Yuuri remembers correctly. He wears something similar to the prince, just in red and black colours and somehow more scandalous. Yuuri tries to put on a friendly smile and stretches his right hand out for a handshake in greeting, but gets startled by a hand on his right butt-cheek, squeezing it firmly.

He squeaks and looks confused into the green eyes of an amused man with a two-tones blond and brown hair style in an undercut with chartreuse eyes, a short goatee and stubble moustache.

“Salut, mon cher. We already have met before in the fury heat of battle, but I think I should formally introduce myself again. The name is Christophe Giacometti. But you can call me Chris, mon cher”, he smirked flirtatious at Yuuri underlining the last part with a coy wink.

The amnesiac is a little bit overwhelmed by the strange greeting but tries to gather himself and ignore his anxiety rising up again.

“Nice to meet you, Chris. My name is Yuuri.”

“The pleasure is on my side, truly”, the Archer winks saucily and Yuuri turns slightly red. He takes a deep breath to calm himself.

He isn’t used to that much social interaction yet or never was to begin with, damn amnesia. Yuuri thinks he is calm again, when a literal beauty enters the Shepherd’s headquarters. She has a short and slender frame, large chestnut brown eyes with reddish-brown hair that she wears in a short, messy ponytail. The girl is dresses in a rose-coloured knight suit, letting her look like a fairy. Simply put: she is beautiful. Not as beautiful and breath-taking as the crown prince – he doesn’t know why he has the urge to compare them with each other – but still truly angelic for the eyes. Yuuri is staring and he knows it. Phichit and Chris chuckle slightly at his starstruck demeanour. Yuuri only makes out the words “Someone has competition” from Chris’s mouth, but he doesn’t care at all right this instant and continues observing the nameless girl amidst the other Shepherds. Her gaze strolls around the hideout and the assembled people. After seemingly not to be able to find what she is looking for, she turns to Mila nervously, “I beg your pardon, Milady, but when might we see our dear Captain?”

“Poor Yuuko”, Sara sighs heartily, “She’s simply been beside herself with concern… Her eyes were scanning the horizon all day during training… She might have earned fewer bruises fighting blindfolded.”

Mila takes on a loving smile, “Yuuko, my dear, that’s so sweet of you to worry about Victor that much. But I can ensure you that he is in good health. Just troubled by his royal responsibilities as usual.”

“Worry? Well, I… He’s our Captain and our beloved Crown Prince! Of course, I’d worry”, Yuuko turns slightly red. Yuuri chuckles.

She is indeed cute and seems to have a crush on the prince.

‘Well, who could not have one. Victor is indeed one of a kind.’

A smile tugs at the corner of his lips and he shakes his head. He should stop these silly thoughts right then and there. When he focuses again at Yuuko, she is staring right into his brown eyes. Yuuri gulps, anxiety growing for a second and dissolving the same as he is met with a warm and gentle smile. Yuuko goes straight to him and offers a handshake, which the magic and sword user immediately reciprocates.

Yuuri still isn’t entirely sure of his class. But as he can use magic, he wants to classify himself as Mage and puts his strange sword skills to the side of his mind, at least for the moment.

“A new face in our ranks. It’s always nice getting new companions as allies. My name is Yuuko Toyomura and I’m training to be a Pegasus Knight. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“The pleasure is mine. I’m Yuuri. A Mage… I guess as I can use magic tomes… even though I seem to have some experience with wielding swords as well”, he smiles awkwardly.

“Never heard of a Mage with sword skills before…”, Phichit chuckles.

“I know”, the amnesiac blushes, “That’s why I said, I guess, Phi.”

The mercenary grins brightly and pats him on the right shoulder.

“Don’t take the amnesia too hard, buddy. We all have our troubles in life. So cheer up!”

“Well yeah, at least mine don’t seem to bite me in the butt too hard or give me that many regrets and embarrassing incidents to look back to. So I guess, it’s a pretty okay position, compared to that…”, Yuuri smirks.

Chris starts laughing and leans on his left shoulder.

“That’s the spirit, cheri! No looking back and no rest for the wicked!”

Sara and Mila shake their heads at that while smiling and whispering something like “Men” to each other. Michele snorts pointedly but doesn’t seem as hostile to Yuuri as before and Emil just snickers.

Yuuko smiles brightly at the scene unfolding in front of her very eyes before continuing their conversation.

“How did you decide to join the Shepherds, Yuuri?”, she is quite intrigued as Yuuri seems to be quite the special people magnet without even knowing it. His shy but friendly demeanour seems to have a greater charm effect on everyone around him than he notices himself.

Herself included. They all are already comfortable with his presence, when they are mostly a very wary bunch in nature.

He truly is a magnificent find for the team.

Yuuri scratches nervously behind his neck, “Victor, Mila and Yakov found me on a clearing near a village. And in the heat of the moment I decided to aid them on their quest to save it from rampaging bandits. As we worked well together as a team, I made the decision to tag along. It’s not every day that you find a prince so funny and extra as His Highness in the fields. He made a truly lasting impression, even more so after starting to get to know him”, Yuuri chuckles and the whole team starts laughing in earnest, agreeing with him instantly.

“You got it. Our Captain is enormously extra, but don’t tell him that or he will start to pout like a little puppy!”, Chris wipes away the tears.

Then, as if talking about him had summoned him, Victor strolls into the room and everyone immediately tries to find a neutral expression as they wouldn’t have just gossiped about their Commander a few seconds ago.

“Ah! Captain! You’ve returned! I was… I mean, we were so…“, Yuuko stutters embarrassed of her slip of the tongue. She takes a few steps to walk to Victor, but trips on some papers and falls down.

Yuuri immediately helps her up, she thanks him and dusts herself off, trying to get her composure back and ignoring her embarrassing, but endearing clumsiness. Phichit whistles and Chris smirks, which earns them both two weak punches to the upper arm from Yuuri and a “It’s not what you think”-explanation.

“Yuuko! Are you alright? …Those boots of yours again?”, the prince seems concerned, eyebrows furrowing together in worry.

“No! I mean, yes! I mean… forget it”, the Pegasus Knight in training blushes and turns to facepalm and silently remind herself how stupid and embarrassing she behaved before their leader.

Christ interrupts the awkward exchange by leaving Yuuri’s side and walking towards Victor, “How was the meeting, cheri?”

The prince collapses onto a nearby chair, his face in his hands to increase the dramatic effect of his upcoming pout.

“The council hates me and wants me to suffer”, he announces loudly and full of mirth, drawing chuckles from the other Shepherds, some still holding their stomachs from before.

“What did they do this time, Victor? Ban your dog from the royal halls again?”, Sara asks amused and ready for a good story to gossip about with her social circles later during teatime.

“Goodness, no! They know by now that my darling Makka can’t be held back by things like doors”, Victor says with a laugh and Yuuri grins amused, “It’s about the vortex zombies, of course.”

“There’s no way they called them that”, Mila points out, brows furrowing in denial.

“No, we’re calling them the Risen like risen from the dead”, Victor responds, his voice growing serious, “The council decided that we need assistance from our neighbour Regna Ferox to quell the menace. Normally, the Exalt would go in person to ask for help, but under the circumstances, the people might worry if she leaves.”

He sighs deeply, “So, I have to go in her stead to represent the Halidom. We’ll start marching in a few hours after the preparations are done and I can catch a short nap. I haven’t slept last night at all… There goes my well needed beauty sleep…”, the crown prince groans and Mila just shakes her head, rolling her eyes at her cousins dramatics. She hasn’t slept either, but nobody hears her complaining about it that much.

“Um, I’m sorry”, Yuuri speaks up, “But what’s Regna Ferox?”

Victor’s eyes flicker to him and then the man is by his side in a flash, his tired state completely forgotten, “Regna Ferox is a unified kingdom just north of us. It’s inhabited by warriors”, Victor explains excited.

“Are we going to fight?”, the amnesiac asks nervously, already imagining various dangerous battle scenarios.

“Hopefully not”, the Ylissean Noble replies, humming, “But we have to be prepared for the worst.”

Yuuri swallows thickly, but Victor is already turning to look at the others.

“Now, this mission is strictly voluntary, so if for any reason you—“

“I volunteer”, Mila cuts him off.

“Count me in, cheri”, Chris crosses his arms, grinning.

“I’ll go too”, Sara adds, waving her hands.

“No! Sara, it’s too dangerous!”, Michele protests, “I won’t have you leaving Ylisse. I’ll go in your stead”, he says, moving to stand in front of his sister protectively.

“Why are you always like this, Mickey?”, Sara shouts, “You act like I can’t fight on my own. I’m as much of a Knight as you, you know!”

“But Sara! This isn’t like a normal mission. We don’t know what these barbarians are capable of”, Michele complains, trying to reason with his younger twin sister.

“Then have you no regard for your own life? You’re frailer than I am!”

“Don’t worry, Sara, I’ll take care of your brother for you. So, you can rest easy”, Emil chimes in, ever the supporter and mediator between the two siblings.

“See that you do”, Sara says icily, “Because I will not be speaking to him again until he gets his head out of his ass.”

She shoots another angry glare at her brother before she leaves.

“Ah. Yes. Well”, Victor says, breaking the strangled atmosphere that had overtaken them at Sara’s departure, “It wouldn’t do to leave the country without one of its best knights, anyway. Perhaps a break from each other will do you well?”, he suggests, the sadness in his eyes standing in sharp contrast to the smile he’s putting on.

“Actually, if you don’t mind”, Phichit says furrowing his brows apologetically, “I’d rather sit this one out too. My sword’s not doing too good after last night’s Risen attack and I really need some new armor and to stock up in general on items.”

“That’s fine”, Victor says, nodding at the Mercenary in confirmation.

“I… I, um…”, Yuuko plays with her hands unsurely.

“Yes, Yuuko?”, Victor’s smile turns a little softer.

Yuuko’s gaze turns to her toes, “It’s just that… I’m not sure, I’m quite ready for a proper mission just yet. I’d probably just get in the way.”

Victors brings his index finger close to his mouth and seems to weigh the pros and cons of bringing her along, “Well, you could stay behind the main group and if a battle is met, just watch and learn? Your choice, of course. But some lessons can only be learned on the battlefield”, he hums.

“W-well, if you think it wise, Captain”, the Pegasus Knight stutters softly, her cheeks bright pink in embarrassment.

The prince smiles lightly, “Just stay near us and you’ll be fine. We’ll protect you, if it comes down to it.”

Yuuko turns pink over her nose, “Oh, yes! I mean—Yes, Sir, I’ll do that!”

Then he looks to Yuuri expectantly, eyes sparkling with anticipation.

“Uh… You don’t actually want me going, do you?”, Yuuri asks in confusion, “I just joined you. I am not even sure, if I am a Mage as I have a sword on me as well… And I really don’t have any diplomatic experience, and I don’t know anything about Regna Ferox, and I wouldn’t want to embarrass you in a foreign country, and—“

“Yuuuuuri”, Victor interrupts him, “You can stay here if you really want to. But I’d feel safer if you were fighting at my side.”

“Really? Even though this is such an important mission?”, the magic user asks, clearly surprised.

“You’ve already proven yourself to be a valuable ally”, Victor tells him, his smile warm, “Just stay close to me and everything will be fine.”

Yuuri hesitates about his answer.

He could always say no…

He could stay with Phichit and maybe ask him to show him the ropes, especially with the sword. He almost certainly would not be able to cause any international incidents from the garrison at least. But...

He remembers the bandit that almost caught Victor off guard.

He remembers the way the Risen swarmed around them, how he had to blast them with magic to give Victor room to fight.

And Yuuri can imagine all too clearly, what could have happened to Victor if he’d been alone.

“Okay. I’ll stay by your side. There’s no way I’ll allow anyone to hurt you”, the dark-haired Mage says with a ferocity that surprises himself.

But Victor just nods as if Yuuri’s answer was the most natural to give.

“I know. And I will protect you as well.”

In the back of the garrison two people smirk being adorably touched by the exchange between the prince and the amnesiac.

* * *

The preparations are made and the prince and Yuuri took a proper nap to recover some energy before the mission. The Shepherds meet in front of the garrison after the are done with their individual businesses to make the last checks before their departure.

“Is everyone ready to head out? We’ve a long march ahead of us. So, if someone forgot something, now is the time to do it”, Victor stands before his companions with Yuuri on his right side.

“Wait for me!”, a black-haired Mage in deep blood-red robes with blue eyes runs up to them, clearly out of breath.

“Gosha?”, Victor sounded surprised seeing the newcomer.

After finding his breath again, the newcomer furrows his eyebrows in irritation and hurt, “Vitya, why am I the last to hear about the expedition to Ferox?”, he sounds sad and pouts at the prince dramatically.

Mila startles, “Huh? Michele was supposed to … Michele! Did you forget to tell Gosha about our mission? You knew, he was on a date with Anya and couldn’t come to the meeting!”

Michele grumbles something and Emil shakes his head and apologizes, “I am sorry. We forgot. Michele is still rather shaken from his earlier fight with his dear little sister and it took me all to bring him here without much of resistance.”

Victor sighs but tries to form a smile, “Glad to have you along, Gosha, my friend. Do you have everything with you or do you need some preparation time to get ready?”

“No thanks, I think, I have everything with me. But gods, that was one hell of a hurry. As soon as Anya told me, I rushed out of the royal library and went straight to the meeting place”, Gosha explains exhausted.

Yuuri steps forward, “Your name is Gosha, right?”

Victors turns to him and clarifies, “Oh! I’m sorry, Yuuri. This is Georgi Popovich, one of Ylisse’s finest Mages and my childhood friend. He specializes in Fire magic and his close friends and family call him Gosha.”

Georgi shakes Yuuri’s hand in a friendly manner.

„Hello, Yuuri. Anya told me that we have a new Shepherd. Em, Anya is one of our other Royal Mages and a very talented Valkyrie. She should catch up with us soon after finishing her experiments.”

The Commander of the Shepherds nods at that and they start to march.

* * *

The journey isn’t easy. Even though Yuuri is freshly washed and equipped with mended clothes, vulneraries and several new Ice and Thunder tomes, he hardly feels like a proper soldier, especially compared to the rest of the Shepherds. Fortunately, Victor seems serious about them not leaving each other’s sides, which puts Yuuri’s mind at ease, at least slightly.

As they walk, the Ylissean Noble gives him a basic rundown of the state of Ylisse’s foreign affairs. Or, at least, he tries to, the prince has a tendency to go on ridiculous tangents, which turn into personal anecdotes and funny stories of his dog Makkachin, whom Yuuri has to meet the next time they have time, and well…

“And that’s why, technically, I’m banned from ever picking up an axe or a bow again. But that’s fine, because even though I kind of have to wield my sword due to my lineage, magic is really all I’m interested in”, Victor tells him.

“And you’re amazing with it”, Yuuri says sincerely, “You’re amazing with the sword too. It’s obvious that you’ve practiced them both for years. I don’t know, how long I’ve been practicing magic or swordsmanship, but… I hope it wasn’t long…”

It would be awful, if he’d been practicing for ten years or something, only to still be so weak and uncoordinated.

“Hmm… You really don’t remember anything about who you were before we found you?”, the silver-haired man asks gently.

“I’ve told you everything I know. That’s literally all I remember. It’s not even that my memories are fuzzy, they’re just… absent”, Yuuri says, frowning at his conclusion of truth.

The crown prince rests his hand on his shoulder and the amnesiac finds himself stepping closer to his side, needing the offered comfort more than he wants to admit to himself.

“I’ll do everything I can to help you figure out your past, Yuuri”, Victor says with depth in his voice.

“Thanks, but… don’t worry about it”, Yuuri smiles, “You have more important things to think about than why a random Mage has amnesia.”

“Nonsense!”, the leader of the Shepherds insists, “You’re a Shepherd now, Yuuri! I’ll help you with anything you need! There must be a hint we can use to figure something out at least.”

Victor leans closer to him, trailing his hand down Yuuri’s arm, holding his hand to consider the strange lilac rune engraved at its back and then moving up again with a swift movement.

“U-Um”, Yuuri’s face grows hot at the touch and he almost pulls away in embarrassment, but then he notices that Victor is staring intensely at the fabric of his coat, examining it carefully to get some clues.

“This material is of excellent quality, so you probably weren’t poor. And the design looks kind of familiar too… Hm… I think I’ve seen it before… Where have I seen it…”, his breath hitches as recognition hits him, “Yes, it looks like… Well, it’s a common symbol in Plegia”, Victor says, tracing the pattern gently with his fingers.

“Plegia…”, Yuuri murmurs shocked and in utter disbelief, “The ones who send bandits into Ylisse?”

“I doubt you were a bandit, Yuuri”, the cerulean-eyed Shepherd says quietly, “You don’t even speak with an accent. It’s more likely that your parents came over during the war…”

“Plegia had a war?”, Yuuri asks, his eyes blinking surprised.

He never would have thought that such a peaceful country as Ylisse would have had a war just so recent.

“Yes. With Ylisse. It was years ago, when I was still a small child”, the heir to the throne of Ylisse explains, a pained expression marring his face and his lips thinning to a straight line.

“I see”, Yuuri decides not to press for more details about the war just now, not when it’s clearly upsetting Victor, but he resolves himself to look into it later as it seems important for their current relationship and happenings with their unruly neighbour.

“So, I’m probably Plegian or of Plegian descent. Is that… going to be a problem?”, he asks worriedly, remembering Yakov’s utter fear and horror of Plegian spies.

“No”, Victor says firmly, returning his hand to the magic user’s shoulder for comfort and reassurance. The prince of Ylisse draws the amnesiac closer to highlight his words, “You’re one of us now, Yuuri. You are an Ylissean Shepherd and nothing’s going to change that fact. Not even your heritage. I promise you.”

* * *

Their peaceful march is, unfortunately, interrupted when they come across a group of rampaging Risen on their route.

“Gods”, Victor says under his breath, cursing internally, “Have they already spread this far?”

He pulls out a tome and Yuuri recognizes it as Fimbulvetr, a much more powerful spell than a mere Ice tome.

“Everyone! Remember what we’re up against! Be on your toes and don’t act carelessly. They like to sneak up on you!”

“Alright! Time for the Risen to meet my flames!”, Georgi giggles excited, before he realizes, what he forgot in the royal library in his haste, “Oh shit, I left my Fire tome behind at the castle!”

Victor facepalms in disbelief, “Gosha this is not the time for your cruel jokes… What about your spare ones?”

The Royal Mage grits his teeth in agony, “I’m sorry, Vitya, but I am serious. I forgot to take them when I hurried to catch up. And the spare ones are in my other lab jacket in the library.”

There was a long audible sigh, but then the leader of the Shepherds advices Georgi calmly, but clearly, “Keep to the rear with Yuuko, then! The battle is right upon us!”

“I can give him my Thunder tome or one of my Ice tomes, Victor. With that he can fight too”, Yuuri fumbles with his coat, looking for one of his spare ones.

The prince turns to the magic user, “That’s really a nice gesture of you Yuuri. But Georgi is a Fire Mage. He can’t use any other kind of magic book than Fire tomes.”

Yuuri’s mouth forms an ‘Oh’ and Victor chuckles amused.

“Are you ready, Yuuri?”, Victor asks trying to put on a relaxed front, but the amnesiac knows that a storm is raging in his mind, “These look a little stronger than the ones we faced before.”

Yuuri nods, pulling out his Thunder tome, saving his Ice tomes for more important developments. If he had it on him, when he was found, he thinks that he probably can use Thunder magic too, even though Victor just explained to him that that shouldn’t be possible theoretically.

He shakes his head. He may not have as much experience as the rest of the Shepherds, but for some reason Victor trusts Yuuri to protect him, and by the gods, Yuuri isn’t going to let him down. The prince once again addresses his loyal companions, “All right, listen up. Especially those of you who BROUGHT weapons! All weapons have strengths and weaknesses to bear in mind in a fight. All lance holders“, he turns to Yakov, Michele and Yuuko, “have advantages against sword fighters, while swords“, his gaze wanders to Emil, “are superior to all kinds of axes and axes”, Victor gives a nod to Mila, “to lances. Our bow user“, Chris whistles playfully and the prince smirks, “please try and scan for flying units or support us as sniper from behind and our mages“, he turns to Yuuri and Georgi, “support the advancing units and look out for advantageous opportunities to strike the enemy. We’ll want to work this into our strategy whenever possible. So group up. Never let someone fight alone. If you need healing, search for Mila and if you need backup whistle three times or try to get away and find your allies for support.”

After pairing themselves up, Georgi and Yuuko in the back and Chris taking the sniper position in order to protect them both from their incoming threat, another female figure appears.

“Splendid! It seems I’ve caught up. Now to extirpate the brutes… But first of all“, the Valkyrie with long, wavy dark brown hair, brown eyes and faint freckles looks over the Shepherds until she finds, whom she is searching for, “Georgi! I wondered what manner of ignoramus would just forget their weapons storming out the library the minute I tell him about the upcoming mission. Now I know.”

The Fire Mage apologizes, being grateful that his Fire tome is in his hands again, “Thank you very much, dear Anya!”

Anya shrugs playfully, her yellow robes rustling, “Perhaps next time I’ll use a spell to fasten it to your hands… permanently.”

Georgi chuckles at the idea, “Perhaps that wouldn’t be such a bad idea.”

They both team up together, so Chris only has two responsibility left: sniping and protecting Yuuko from possible threats.

The Risen and the Shepherds engage in combat shortly after.

First the enemy side has clearly an advantage in numbers over Victor’s unit, but soon the tables turn in favour of the Shepherds and the battle is faster over than expected. With Victor and Yuuri clearing most of the front, foreseeing each other’s next moves and protecting their blind spots, the Risen Chief is taken down in record time. Yuuri is proud of himself to see that aside from Ice magic, he is also more familiar with Thunder magic than he thought before. Victor also looks surprised the first time the amnesiac uses a thunderbolt to knock out one of the sword-fighting Risen in one go. Both seem to agree after winning the fight and resting to catch their breaths that Yuuri is definitely not a normal kind of Mage.

But further investigation has to be put on a hold though, as their mission to Ferox takes first priority.

Anya comes up to the amnesiac to introduce herself and her abilities of healing and Thunder Magic, “I am very pleased to be in the presence of another practitioner of the enigmatic art of magic, especially with such a fine specimen as yourself. Truly fascinating. Oh, where are my manners. And I called Gosha an ignoramus, by the goods, I seem to be not much better myself! My name is Anya Christina Virinevna and I am a Valkyrie specialized in the fields of lightning magic and healing. I assist the Crown of our Halidom as part of the Royal Mages.” Yuuri introduces himself as well and then the two magic users immediately chatter away about ancient theories of the mystic arts and Yuuri’s irregular powers.

“Truly fascinating!”, exclaims Anya often during their discussions, followed by, “This has to be investigated thoroughly on a later date!”

The prince just observes their conversations from afar and smiles, enjoying his break. When Victor decides he has rested enough, he turns to Yakov and speaks exasperated and concerned about the appearance of the monsters in this part of the Halidom, “Good riddance! By Naga, if they’re appearing this far up the Northroad already…”

Yakov nods in agreement, “Then no path is safe any longer. We’ll need to stay wary and don’t let our guard down”, the Great Knight addresses the Shepherds, “Stay on your toes and don’t act carelessly.”

* * *

The Shepherds then continue to travel up north and arrive to find a beautiful forest clearing, a pegasus standing in the middle of it. Mila and Yuuri are the first ones to notice the ethereal creature.

“Well, what do we have here?”, Yuuri is starstruck.

“Hey, is that what I think it is?”, says Mila also struck from its beauty.

Victor looks warmly at the creature, noticing its injuries and speaks:

“It’s a pegasus, all right. I think it’s hurt. Let’s just have a look here…”

The prince walks up to the pegasus and the animal kicks out at the sudden movements towards him.

“WHOA! Down, girl! Easy there!”, he jumps back.

Yuuko joins them slowly but steadfast, “Captain, one moment! I–”, she trips immediately, gets up embarrassed and dusts herself off.

“Yuuko! Are you alright? Did you hurt yourself? Is it those boots of yours again?”, Victor grimaces worriedly.

“No! I mean, yes! I mean…”, Yuuko sighs deeply. Can’t she just be smooth one time? Is it too much to ask for?

“Well, come no closer. This beast is crazed!”, the prince warns her.

The Pegasus Knight in training smiles, “It’s okay, Captain. I can handle this… Shh… Easy now, girl. I won’t hurt you.”

The pegasus calms down and lets Yuuko pet her.

Yuuri is amazed, “How did she calm it so quickly?”

“That’s incredible, Yuuko!”, Mila gushes excitedly.

“I’ve never seen anything like it”, Victor sounds impressed.

Yuuko turns red on the tips of her ears, “Oh, it’s… it’s nothing. Really. I just have a way with animals, I guess.”

“I should say so!”, their Commander responds.

“You all go ahead. I’ll dress her wounds and catch up as soon as we’re able to”, she assures before petting the pegasus gently.

But Victor shakes his head, “We can make time to wait for you. It is too dangerous for you to stay behind left alone.”

“Thank you, Captain. But I can manage. Every second is precious when all of Ylisse is in danger”, the Pegasus Knight argues.

“I will stay behind with her!”, a new voice appears from the forest.

A Myrmidon with a stocky build, tan skin and short-cut black hair walks up to them. His eyes a fiery dark brown underline his maroon battle suit.

Victor’s face brightens in recognition at the new arrival, “Takeshi! Nice to see you! It’s great you decided to tag along!”

“Nice seeing you too, Commander! Phichit told me about the new mission and our new face. Yuuri is it?”, the man looks at him, reaching out to give him a handshake, “Takeshi Nishigori.” Yuuri nods, shakes the hand and wants to respond, but the swordsman already turns to Victor and continues the conversation from before, “He mentioned that you could need some aid. And that Yuuko is tagging along as well. So, I decided to give you my support as well, to lift some of your worries–”, the Myrmidon smirks challenging. And Victor groans tiredly.

It seems that the prince knows about the fact that Yuuko has a big crush on him and Takeshi obviously on Yuuko, as Yuuri observed silently from the shadows of the side-lines.

“What a complicated constellation”, he says to himself.

“And you should be careful not to get too deeply involved”, Chris whispers in his left ear, which leads to Yuuri jumping back shivering.

The Archer grins widely and laughs full heartedly, “Don’t worry about it too much, cheri! Your strike zone is clearer than you think.”

Yuuri’s face turns a red tomato at that.

‘What does Chris even mean by that? My strike zone? I think, I don’t even want to know’, the magic user takes a breath and decides to be more careful in the future about his tongue slipping.

After further discussions Victor approves of Takeshi and Yuuko staying behind together until the pegasus was properly cared for and bandaged.

The remaining Shepherds gather their equipment at their Commander’s instructions to continue their journey to the borders of their neighbour Ferox in order to fulfil their mission.


	5. Warrior Realm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Shepherds arrive at the border to Ferox.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey again^^
> 
> I thought I post what I have written up till today^^
> 
> All the best^^
> 
> Love, Ria

As they travel north the scenery changes into land covered by snow and adorned by snowflakes from the sky. To the Shepherds it looks like an enchanted and beautified landscape, full of ice and frozen lakes.

However, as they continue to journey onward the harshness of the coldness gets to most of their companions.

“It’s freezing”, Mila complains shivering, rubbing her hands against her arms in order to produce some warmth.

“I think, it feels fine! It’s beautiful here. Maybe we can find a frozen lake later and ice skate! Yuuri do you ice skate? Oh right! You don’t remember! I will show you later then!”, Victor responds cheerfully, his eyes focusing on the winter wonderland around him.

The amnesiac just hums in approval.

Personally, Yuuri agrees to the prince’s ‘it feels fine’-comment, but then, they’re both wearing coats, a necessity for ice magic users and furthermore as it is their element, they are used to it. But the rest of the Shepherds are not dressed for the temperature at all and unfortunately, Georgi’s Fire magic is too weak to warm all of them simultaneously. Furthermore, whatever this ‘ice skating’ is, it sounds familiar and fun. So, he is looking forward to the time when Victor will show him this interesting pastime.

“We’re almost there anyway. So hold out a little longer”, Yakov informs them gruffly and tries to uphold moral, “This is the Longfort up ahead.”

“The Longfort stretches along the border of the countries Ylisse and Regna Ferox”, Victor explains to Yuuri dutifully, “The Khans that rule Regna Ferox have grown wary of foreigners over the last few decades, you see.”

“However, there’s nothing to worry about. We come peacefully”, the Great Knight insists sternly, “But remember, Vitya, this calls for diplomacy, utmost respect and royal mannerism.”

Victor nods confirmatively, dismissing his mentor’s pointers, “I know, Yakov. I’m not a child. I know how to be nice to a few leaders for the sake of my people”, the Ylissean Noble says with a laugh.

Yet, despite Yakov’s assurance that there would be nothing to worry about, they make it only a few more paces before they realize that they aren’t the only forces around the Longfort. The Feroxi army was on the move, observing their every move and action.

“Trouble in the wind, Vitya. The Feroxi Guard are mobilizing and preparing for countermeasures”, Yakov mutters frowning, sliding his gaze carefully over the moving Feroxian soldiers.

“What? Why?”, Victor scans their surroundings warily, trying to grasp what is happening in front of them.

“I don’t know. But they look ready to let their spears fly at a moment’s notice”, his mentor admits, gritting his teeth, “We’d better stay alert and prepare for combat, just to be on the safe side. We don’t want to get overwhelmed in the most disadvantageous way possible.”

It isn’t long before a female short-haired Knight emerges from the fortress, flanked by a swarm of soldiers on both of her sides. Seems like they will be greeted by a superior soldier of the Feroxi army and hopefully given an explanation about their current confusing circumstances.

“She goes by Raimi, I believe”, Yakov says quietly to his liege, “She was only a rank-and-file soldier the last time I set foot near the fortress. I take it she got promoted since our last meeting. Hopefully her temper has calmed down a little with her new position.”

The Shepherds would like to discuss more about this Raimi and her temper, but time seems to have run out on them as the soldiers of Ferox get to a halt to give their superior her stage.

“Halt! Who goes there?”, the blond woman in her steel-coloured armour demands loudly and full of indestructible pride.

Yuuri thinks that she really loves her position as leader and the spotlight, at least he deducts these facts from her body language.

“Ah, hello there”, Victor greets with a charming, disarming smile, moving slowly forward to engage in a civil conversation, “We’ve come in the name of House Ylisse. We seek an audience with the Khans.”

“Not another step, my bold lad!”, Raimi says with a deathly glare.

‘Yes, she is clearly one for dramatics’, the magic user huffs, pondering how he should deal with this knowledge to their advantage.

Dramatic people can be tricky in diplomatic conversations, moreover when they are prideful and hasty in their judgement.

Yuuri’s stomach churns, a foreboding feeling rising in his gut.

The Feroxian Knight points to her brothers-in-arms, trying to intimidate the Shepherds with their numbers and attack power, “I’ve got lancers at my command. Ready to throw their spears! So choose wisely!”

‘Oh no…’, Yuuri shakes his head. He thinks he knows where this is sadly going, even though maybe they could still somehow salvage the situation and turn the tables before the inevitable.

“No need for that, friend! We aren’t your enemy!”, Victor says amiably, trying to continue their crumbling diplomatic talk, “Exalt Arina herself sent us to discuss matters of mutual interest for both our countries.”

‘Yeah, maybe…’, the Mage is hopeful until the end, waiting nervously for the reply of the Feroxian Knight. At least someone can hope for reason.

Raimi huffs annoyed, nodding to her comrades, then she focuses her eyes sharply at the Ylisseans, “My only interest is keeping you out of our beloved Regna Ferox, brigand!”, she says with finality, her hand already reaching for her lance to give the command to attack.

Yuuri facepalms. He should have known better.

“Br-Brigand?”, Victor repeats, stunned, “We’re not…”

“You think you are the first ‘Ylisseans’ to try and cross our Feroxi border?”, the border guardian asks severely, “I have the authority to fell such impostors right where they stand for treason against the crown!”

The prince is speechless, with his mouth gaping wide open.

His thoughts running a hundred miles in his head, ‘Am I really that unrecognizable? Is my presence internationally really so scarce that someone can’t distinguish the real Victor from a fraud?’

He doesn’t know what to do, so Yakov steps forward, facing Raimi, daring her to not recognize him as well, which seems that she truly doesn’t.

‘Can this get any worse?’, Yuuri internally screams, mentally slapping himself for probably jinxing their already precarious position.

“Are you incapable of recognizing the Prince of Ylisse when you see him?”, the Ylissean Great Knight growls, irritation showing, “You are wasting everyone’s time.”

“The Prince! Ha! Yes, indeed and I'm the queen of Valm!”, Raimi laughs sharply and full of mirth, “You do realize impersonating royalty is a capital offense, yes?”

“We aren’t impersonating anyone”, Victor insists, having found his tongue again, “I am Crown Prince Victor Nikiforov of Ylisse.”

The Feroxian Knight seems to consider her plan of action after this statement, “Mmm... If you are that convinced, then perhaps we should settle this the Feroxi way. You claim to be the Prince of Ylisse? Then prove it on the battlefield!”, Raimi orders, clicking her tongue sharply to start the battle. Hearing her cue, her group of soldiers spread out.

They stare forward, clearly waiting for the Shepherds to make their move.

If they were brigands, leaving would be the smart choice now. But they are not, and the safety of Ylisse depends on their meeting with the Khans.

Fighting is the only option it seems to gain approval.

“Fine”, Victor replies finally, his voice flat, clearly knowing that nothing will be able to change the mind of the stubborn border guardian but the Shepherd’s victory in a fight, “I don’t like it, but if you won’t listen, so be it. Shepherds, stay on guard!”

As soon as he spoke out the last words Feroxi soldiers attack by throwing their spears towards him. Victor pushes Yuuri out of the way and braces himself, however, suddenly he is whisked away off the ground to safety by Yuuko and the previously injured pegasus.

“Yuuko?”, Victor mutters in surprise and elation at the rescue.

“Better hold on tight, Captain. Could get bumpy”, the Pegasus Knight concentrates on her surroundings with a fixed gaze.

“Uh…right”, the prince tries to find his bearings again.

“You’ll be fine”, Yuuko turns around and smiles.

Victor scans the area and notices Feroxi Knights trying to throw their spears at Yuuko and him.

“Yuuko!”, he exclaims to guide her attention to the incoming attack.

“Right!”, they dodge the incoming weapons and fly back to their allies, who are waiting for their return to further engage in battle. Back on solid ground near their companions Victor dismounts the pegasus carefully, letting out a deep breath of relieve, when his jumbled mind catches up to the past incident. ‘Why must it always turn out like this?’

Yuuko pats the pegasus in thanks for her aid, humming in a good mood, then she turns to the prince smiling widely, “Oh Captain, I’m so relieved I made it in time”, the Pegasus Knight sighs in relief.

Victor smiles back at her, “That goes double for me, Yuuko! And this – is this the same ornery pegasus we met on the road?!”, he stares wondering at the animal. The flying horse seems completely transformed, standing proud and waiting for Yuuko’s next orders. The Ylissean woman giggles.

“Oh, she’s a real sweetheart, isn’t she? Once you really get to know her…”, the Pegasus Knight pets her brave ally with affection.

The head of the Shepherds chuckles mildly at the scene before him.

He remembers himself and his dog Makkachin watching the loving gesture. How he would like to cuddle Makka right now…

The prince swears to himself to shower his cute poodle in affection the next time he is at home.

“Well, many thanks to you both”, Victor looks around them both, searching for the Myrmidon, who stayed behind with them, but not finding him in their vicinity. He turns confused to Yuuko, “By the way, where is Takeshi? Isn’t he with you?”

As if the question has summoned him, the dark-haired male arrives breathing heavily from exhaustion, “Yuuko…”, he pants hard, trying to catch his breath, while ringing for air, “Never ever do that again! You hear me?!”

Yuuko grimaces, “I’m so sorry, Takeshi. But the pegasus couldn’t fly three people at the same time and our Captain was in danger”, she explains apologetic, trying to justify her actions, “And it was only five meters ground-distance. So stop being so dramatic!”

Takeshi grimaces, “I think that was a little bit too high up for normal human beings to land spontaneously and without a warning of getting thrown off a flying pegasus. Please consider an easier landing distance the next time this will happen or give me some kind of warning to prepare myself for Naga’s sake!”

The leader of the Shepherd’s grits his teeth in sympathy for his ally.

‘Five meters ground-distance? What the fuck, Yuuko? Maybe I should carefully think about flying with her again…’

“And I think we all best focus on the matter at hand!”, Yakov yells at them while trying to group up their allies.

“Victor, they’re coming!”, Yuuri quickly moves to Victor’s side and the prince looks at him with relief that his friend isn’t hurt.

“Yuuri, good, you’re here”, he says, “Trade me one of your Ice tomes.”

“Uh, why?”, Yuuri asks, but he makes no protest, merely digs into one of his pockets for one of his two spare tomes, handing the tome readily to the Ylissean Noble.

“Because we come in peace”, Victor says sadly, swapping the vulnerary he’d pulled out of his own pocket for Yuuri’s tome in exchange.

‘Ah. I get it. Fimbulvetr would be too much’, the amnesiac’s brain concludes. “They don’t exactly deserve the Great Winter, do they…”, he murmurs, sighing, “They really think we’re imposters.”

“You understand”, Victor says quietly, but pleased, “Good. We’ll finish this real quick. I’ll engage the Commander directly. Yuuri, make sure her soldiers don’t interfere.”

And so the battle starts. The fight isn’t easy as they would have liked.

The Feroxi guards fight with a determination that can only be found in those defending their home and they are used to the frostiness of the weather. But the heir to the throne of Ylisse is fighting for his home too and all the people in it and the Shepherds are a force to be reckoned with when joined together trying to reach the same goal.

With the Ylissean Noble’s full focus on disarming Raimi, he can’t afford to worry about stray lances and arrows hitting him or other soldiers engaging him in combat.

‘He won’t have to. They’ll have to get through me first’, the brown-haired Mage thinks, determined to keep the prince safe.

It isn’t too hard to keep the soldiers from surrounding Victor. The amnesiac merely has to stand close by and they tend to target him instead.

The Shepherd understands. He looks weak. He is weak.

‘This is the second time I’ve had to use a vulnerary’, Yuuri realizes and switches to his Ice tome, ‘Luckily, Victor gave me that extra healing potion earlier, but…’

The Feroxi warriors are persistent, that’s for sure. It seems that every time he gets one to retreat, another one springs up to take their place.

Somehow, he manages to reduce their numbers to two sturdy foes, who keep him on his toes. Eventually, he lands a hit with his sword after a complicated maneuvre of Ice spells and sword slashes that knocks the Archer unconscious. The Soldier who had been fighting beside him glances nervously between his partner and Yuuri, as if trying to come to a decision for his situation.

“Take him back!”, the brown-eyed Mage snaps angrily. The choice should be obvious and not a matter to contemplate in the first place.

The Feroxian man eyes him warily, still undecided, so Yuuri huffs in frustration, “We aren’t here for your heads! Go and care for his wounds before they get infected and take longer to recover.”

The Soldier stares at him coldly and for a moment the Ice magic user fears that he’ll choose to keep fighting anyway. But then, slowly, his opponent picks up his unconscious comrade and retreats to the fortress, bowing shortly in thanks. The newcomer of the Shepherds slumps, he can finally take a second to breathe, exhaustion washing over him.

“Victor, how are you doing over there?”, Yuuri asks when he catches his breath enough to speak, overlooking the battle field and being pleased that his allies seem to have gained the upper hand in general.

The leader of the Shepherds, who’s been putting as much distance as he can between himself and Raimi in order to prevent counterattacks, turns his head at the sound of his friend’s voice.

“She won’t—Oh, gods!”, his Commander shouts exasperated, shooting one more large blast of ice at Raimi before running over to his favourite battle partner, “You look awful! And your tome’s about to fall apart!”

Yuuri spares a glance at the weapon in his hand. He hadn’t realized how close it was to breaking, but it hardly surprises him. At least, he has another Thunder tome and his steel sword to defend himself.

When he looks at them though, he comes to the realization that they are not that better off than his Ice tome.

It was a good idea to bring more than one weapon.

“There were about…”, he tries to remember how many Feroxi, he had been up against, but their faces blur together in his mind, so he can only offer a guess, “I think there were seven of them? I don’t really remember…I lost count after the third battle…”

“Seven! Gods, Yuuri, why didn’t you say something?”, Victor exclaims in horror and fascination at the same time, clearly impressed.

“Don’t worry about it”, the amnesiac says dismissively.

His Captain was busy and besides, it all turned out fine anyway.

“How’s it going with Raimi?”, he tries to lead their conversation into another more urging direction.

“She’s been heavily weakened, but she won’t surrender”, Victor tells him. He gets a hard look in his eyes and his hand hovers over his sword.

“I guess, I have to make her with Falchion.”

This time when the prince attacks Raimi, it’s head-on.

Though the Feroxian Knight has the weapon advantage, Victor is a stronger and more skilled fighter and has Yuuri as his back-up and Raimi is exhausted. After trading a couple of blows, with his friend blocking the incoming counter attacks, the Ylissean Nobel knocks the lance out of her hands, disarming her. Raimi does not quiver in the face of Victor’s sword and Yuuri is a little impressed at her bravery.

If he had no weapon and the prince was pointing his sword at him…

Well, he can’t imagine ever turning against Victor, so it wouldn’t happen, but he would certainly be afraid!

But of course, the Captain of the Ylissean Shepherds is not seeking Raimi’s execution, so he lowers his sword, having his goal achieved.

The Feroxian border guardian looks him surprised in the eyes and huffs gruffly in acknowledgment, “Then your claims were… true…”, she breathes heavily.

“Indeed”, Victor says, stepping back to allow her to pick up her fallen lance, “Now call off the rest of your soldiers. It is redundant to battle any further with having established that we are no threat to Ferox.”

She does so, although in truth there are not that many Feroxi soldiers left, the Shepherds having forced the majority to retreat already or simply knocking them out as some individuals were too stubborn to give up.

When everything has calmed down, Raimi returns to stand in front of the Crown Prince of Ylisse slightly bowing to show her respect.

“A thousand apologies, Crown Prince Victor. I truly took you for brigand impostors. But no frauds could ever wage a battle as you just have!”, she says, perfectly sweet now that the fighting is over, “I will send word of your arrival to the capital and escort you there personally.”

“That would be most appreciated. Thank you”, Victor responds politely.

As she leaves, the prince’s polite expression drops immediately, a disbelieving frown marring his face.

“What kind of treatment was that? Who makes a foreign prince fight just to prove his identity? What if I didn’t know how to fight?”, he complains.

“Strength speaks louder than words in Ferox”, Yakov explains, though he’s just as annoyed as his pupil, “I should have known better than to advise you to try to be diplomatic.”

“The Khans had better help us after all the trouble we’ve been put through!”, Victor continues, “Or else I’ll… I’ll…”

“You’ll do what, Vitya?”, his mentor asks drily.

“I’ll use my magic to make their dinner really cold!”, Victor decides.

The brown-haired amnesiac tries to choke back a laugh, but the silver-haired man catches it anyway. And it only seems to encourage him.

“Yuuri, you can help me! We can sneak into their bedrooms and make their blankets cold too!”, he suggests with a sly smile.

The Mage shakes his head. He tries to look serious, but he can feel the grin tugging at his lips, “Shouldn’t we wait to see the outcome of the meeting first?”, he points out trying to remain professional.

“Oh, right!”, Victor says cheerfully as if he would have already forgotten their next plan of action.

Mila shivers when another fresh breeze whirls up, “So can we get going now, Vitya? I’m nearly frozen solid!”

Victor turns to her with a grin, “Sure, it’s not getting any warmer anyway!”


	6. Two Falchions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In order to get aid for Ylisse Victor and the Shepherds have to participate in a battle over the power of Ferox, representing the East Khan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey^^
> 
> And another chapter!  
> Have fun
> 
> Love, Ria

Raimi keeps her promise to escort them to the capitol of Ferox.

“Prince Victor, please wait here, while I summon the Khan”, she says, when they arrive at the throne room, leaving him, Yuuri, Mila and Yakov to themselves, the rest of the Shepherds having been escorted to the healers’ chambers to ensure no wounds lingered from the past battle.

The four look around the grand hall, decorated by frescos and paintings of wild battle scenes. Yuuri wonders, why his friend insisted of him being present during the meeting with the Khan. He worries his lip, deciding if he should ask or just let it be. After some arguing with himself in his head, the magic user decides to confront his Commander.

“Um... Not that I mind, but why did you want me here, Victor?”, Yuuri asks curiously. Surely it didn’t make sense for him to be joining Ylissean royalty in a meeting with the leaders of another country…

“I want my second-in-command with me when we discuss matters of foreign affairs”, Victor explains cheerfully, patting him gently on the shoulder as to underline his statement.

“I guess that makes sense”, Yuuri says, but then the implication of Victor’s words dawns on him, “Wait, no it doesn’t! When did I become your second-in-command?”, he exclaims confused.

“When you fought against seven opponents at once!”, the heir to the throne of Ylisse says brightly, “And you won!”

“Okay, but–. That was–. You were–. And they retreated, anyway–. You can’t just– “, Yuuri looks helplessly at Yakov, “Don’t you have anything to say about this?”

“Hmm. I’ve never seen Vitya more focused in a battle than when he is with you at his side”, Yakov says calmly, “I am still not entirely persuaded about this amnesia business, but I will admit that the two of you make a formidable team in battle. So I don’t have anything against you attending the discussion about our appeal.”

“Oh… If… If that’s the case…”, Yuuri stammers out, blushing.

‘Can I really defend Victor despite my weak magic?’

‘Can Victor really focus better with me there?’

‘It seems impossible, and yet…’

“Okay, I’ll do it”, Yuuri says firmly, “I’ll be your second-in-command, Victor, if you’ll have me.”

The prince moves closer to him and for a second, the Mage thinks he’s going to sling an arm around his shoulder again.

Instead, Victor steps behind him, draping both arms loosely around his neck and embracing him gratefully.

“Thank you”, he murmurs warmly.

‘Gods, can Victor feel my heart beating?’

Yuuri thinks he probably can, his hands are right there. But it’s a nice feeling, one he never wants to forget, and he understands now, why his heart pounds every time Victor smiles – it’s happiness. Unfortunately, Victor has to pull away as soon as the Khan enters the room.

“Hello”, the Ylissean Noble regally greets him immediately with a low bow, “You must be the Khan, I presume, that is…”

“Ciao ciao!”, the Khan dressed in a golden lion-battle suit greets in return, waving his hands animatedly and then bowing politely as well for formalities sake, “That’s right. I’m one of the Khans here – the East Khan. My name is Celestino Cialdini!”, he says jovially.

He is of the Warrior class, has long brown-taupe hair pulled back into a ponytail, safe for a strand that sticks out. Celestino also has sideburns, thick eyebrows and light green eyes. His built is very angular with a square chin and a muscular upper body. All in all, he seems like quite the quirky and cheerful personality from his figure of speech. His eyes, however, tell that the man shouldn’t be underestimated in any situation.

Yuuri immediately takes a shine to him and his behaviour.

“Khan Cialdini, of course! A pleasure to meet you”, Victor says smoothly, as if he hadn’t just forgotten an important leader’s name.

“I apologize for the troubles at the border, Crown Prince Victor. You’re welcome in Regna Ferox and you can call me Celestino”, the Feroxian Warrior continues smiling, his gaze resting warmly on the prince’s face.

“Thank you, Celestino, for the very warm welcome. And I’m sure we can put those troubles behind us”, the leader of the Shepherds says with a thin smile, “Now tell me, is it true that groups of bandits pose as Ylisseans to cross your border?”

“That’s right. We found documents proving as much on the corpse of one of their Captains”, the East Khan explains as Victor grimaces, “Plegia must see some benefit in raising tensions between our countries.”

“Damn them!”, the prince exclaims, but he freezes as soon as he realizes what he’s said. He laughs loudly, “Ah, what I meant to say was–“

Celestino waves his hand dismissively and smirks, his eyes glowing in clear approval, “Ha! Damn them and damn delicacy! We speak plainly here in Ferox”, he says grinning like an amused lion.

“Okay, if that’s how it is–”, Victor says cheerfully, “–then tell your damn border guards to open their damn eyes once in a while!”

“Ha ha! Now that’s Feroxi diplomacy! I like you already!”, the Warrior laughs before growing serious, “I know, why you have come, Prince. But regrettably, I cannot provide any Feroxi troops for Ylisse.”

Victor’s face slips into a carefully neutral expression.

“Oh? And why is that?”, he asks politely and calm.

“I don’t have the authority”, the East Khan replies, simply shrugging.

“You don’t have…? Oh–”, Victor says, realization dawning in his cerulean eyes, “You’re the other Khan.”

“Now, now, there’s no need to say it like that!”, Celestino insists, “The East and West Khan hold a tournament every few years and Min-so just happened to one-up me last time. That means she has total sovereignty over both kingdoms right now, but it’s only for the moment!”

“Unfortunately, the moment happens to be when we need aid”, the Ylissean royal mutters bitterly, grimacing.

“About that”, the Khan says smirking mischievously, “The next tournament is coming up in two days and I’m in need of champions.”

“Champions…?”, Victor repeats uncertain, but curious, “What does that have to do with us?”

“The Captain of my border guard mentioned that your Shepherds are pretty good”, Celestino continues smiling, “You should consider representing the East in the upcoming tournament. If you win and I become the ruling Khan, I’ll grant your alliance.”

The prince looks down in thought with his index finger pressed against his lips for several seconds before looking back to one of the leaders of Ferox.

“And it wouldn’t be out of place for Ylisseans to join? Won’t that go against your countries’ traditions?”, he asks contemplating.

“Ha! Not at all!”, Celestino laughs heartily, “On the contrary. The Khans themselves never fight — otherwise there would be no end to the blood feuds, and Khans would be dying left and right! We don’t involve comrades or kin for the same reason. All of our champions are foreigners. We’ve never had royalty before, though!”, he says, sounding excited like a small child, “But of course, in the end it’s your choice to make.”

“It really isn’t”, Victor says, grimacing, “My people are desperate. We face not only Plegia’s attacks, but now the added threat of the Risen. If fighting for you is the quickest way to forge an alliance, then we have no choice. We’ll take up our arms for you, Celestino.”

“Great!”, the East Khan says enthusiastically, “I like you, Prince Victor! I do hope you survive the tournament!”, he continues, slapping the Ylissean Noble hard on the back.

Yuuri winces in sympathy. That must have hurt.

“Come, I’ll show you where the tournament will be held! But be careful! I’ve heard West Khan Min-so has acquired an incredibly good swordsman this year!”, Celestino chatters as he guides them down a hallway.

“Not as good as the Prince of Ylisse”, Victor responds confidently, “He shall be defeated by my countries necessity.

“Well spoken like a real warrior – I look forward to seeing, if you’re equally skilled with a blade!”, Celestino grins openly.

* * *

In the short time leading up to the tournament, the Shepherds are generously housed at the capitol, given all the food and clothing they could want and allowed free reign to roam and practice as they please.

It might have been nice, were it not for the fact that there was a lot at stake for them in the tournament. The prince even exclaimed that his promise to take his right-hand ice skating has to wait for another time more appropriate. Victor and Yuuri have spent practically all their time together since they arrived having various strategic meetings.

A necessity, the amnesiac supposes, since the leader of the Shepherds seems truly set on having Yuuri as his second-in-command.

And indeed, most of their time has been spent talking strategy, with the occasional break to practice with the other Shepherds.

And seeing Victor behave around the others, you’d think he was confident. Arrogant, even. But when he and his second-in-command are alone, the tiniest cracks appear in the facade and Yuuri catches glimpses of the fear that lurks underneath the calm surface of his prince.

Yuuri too is fearful. Not that Victor will lose, because the dark-haired man has complete faith that he won’t, but that he himself will fail.

That he’ll let his friend down.

“It’s just that I’m weak, Victor. You can take down three opponents in the time, it takes me to take one. What if I’m not good enough for this? What if I only hold you back?”, he asks when they’ve stayed up late on the night before the fateful tournament discussing Victor’s planned tactics.

It’s dark, with only a few candles to light their work area, so Yuuri can hardly see his expression hidden underneath his bangs.

But when his Commander speaks, his voice is soft.

“Nobody thinks you’re weak”, he says, firm in his convictions despite his gentle tone, “Have you heard a single person say that?”

“No”, the magic user admits, “The Shepherds treat me as their equal. They have since the day I joined.”

“Yes”, Victor agrees, “And me? Have I ever suggested that you were any less than amazing and brilliant?”

Side-by-side, he and Yuuri are close enough that their arms brush against each other. It’s amazing to the amnesiac how comforting Victor’s presence has become in such a short time. And indeed, in that time, the Ylissean Noble has never made him feel weak at all. But…

“Even if you say that, I know you’re worried”, Yuuri argues, trying to make his point, “You smile at everyone and say we can’t fail, but Victor, I can tell that it’s bothering you too!”

The leader of the Shepherds is silent the minutes ticking by, then he sighs.

“I should have hidden it better”, he says quietly and defeated, “I didn’t mean to worry you. I’ll try to do better.”

“No!”, Yuuri protests immediately, “You don’t have to put on a mask for me, Victor! I only want you to be yourself!”

The silver-haired man stares at him, probably as surprised by the Mage’s outburst as he is himself. But then his eyes soften.

“Is that so?”, he murmurs almost inaudible.

“Yes”, Yuuri says confidently, “We’re… close, aren’t we?”, he asks, flushing slightly at his forwardness, “You trust me in battle to have your back… or so you’ve said… You… You can trust me like this too.”

Victor falls silent again and the amnesiac hopes, he hasn’t said too much.

He’s about to beg the Ylissean Noble to forget everything, he’s just said, when the prince speaks up again.

“Okay”, Victor says softly, “I’ll tell you the truth, Yuuri. I am afraid. Afraid for the people of Ylisse. If the alliance falls through, they’re the ones who will suffer most.”

“Oh, Victor…”, Yuuri whispers quietly.

The brown-eyed man doesn’t know how he could possibly help.

What comfort is there when the lives of thousands rest on your shoulders?

But he has to try and say something. Anything.

So he tells him the first thing, which comes to his mind.

“You’re a good prince”, Yuuri says, linking their arms together, “And when we win the tournament, everyone in Ylisse will know, what you’ve done for their sake.”

Victor hums in agreement and rests his head on Yuuri’s shoulder.

They rest together in silence before they decide to go to bed that night.

* * *

The time for the tournament finally arrives.

Yuuri doesn’t feel ready, but then, he’s sure he never would.

Victor gives everyone their orders before he returns to his side.

“Take these Elice”, he says handing the magic user a couple of new tomes, “The opposing Mages have Elthunder. I want things to be even.”

“Alright. You don’t need them yourself?”, the dark-haired Shepherd asks, noticing that the prince doesn’t have any tomes of his own on him.

Victor shakes his head, “I’ll use Falchion. I don’t want to worry about my tomes breaking in the middle of combat”, he says determined.

The Ylissean Noble had talked to his second-in-command about his divine, unbreakable dragon-slaying blade before and admittedly, Falchion sounded superior to any tome Yuuri knew of. Still, he knows that Victor much prefers magic and he doesn’t like his comrade’s resigned expression as he brushes his hand over the hilt of his sword.

“Uh, Vitya? Take a look at the West Khan’s swordsman, will you?”, Mila interrupts, pointing to the other end of the arena.

Victor and Yuuri both turn their eyes to the opponent’s side.

There in the centre is a very familiar masked figure.

“Marth!”, the heir to the throne of Ylisse calls energetically and waves with both of his hands in grand movements, “Hey, Marth! Good to see you again! Can I ask a quick question before we begin?”

“Draw your damned sword, already!”, Marth yells back agitated and grumpy, “It’s time to see which one of us is stronger!”

“Ha, I guess that’s a no”, Victor says pouting, but not appearing too upset about the rejection, “Yuuri, watch my back, while I fight with Marth, okay?”

“Of course”, his brother in arms replies, scanning the enemy soldiers and putting up a strategy in his head. Since the Captain and him discussed a lot about tactics in battle and his input had surprised the prince more than just once, he himself started to take a shine to the topic because of these conversations and started to read a few books about strategic warfare in his scarce free time. The magic user literally took the information in like a sponge and some of the things he had read, seemed awfully familiar to him. Maybe at some point in his life, he had been educated in certain ways of strategic thinking. Or Victor was just a very good teacher and coach. Yuuri doesn’t know, which one is the answer to his unforeseen talent in understanding strategy easier than for a normal beginner possible.

Victor has called him a genius, but Yuuri doesn’t think that he is one, the true genius in his opinion is Victor himself. But this conversation has been put on a hold, because neither wanted to give in.

Nevertheless, the Mage hopes, he can try out some of the manoeuvres he had read about in the books and discussed with his Commander.

Yuuri turns his attention back to the upcoming battle. The Shepherds and the West Khan’s champions take their places and the battle begins.

Victor doesn’t even have to move, because Marth runs over immediately.

“You look weak like this”, the masked swordsman says, sneering in contempt, “Let’s see if you can even match me.”

He unsheathes his sword and the silver-haired man gasps.

“That… Where did you get that?”, he asks in utter disbelief and confusion, “There’s no way…”

“Shut up and draw your weapon!”, Marth growls annoyed.

Victor finally does and the two swordsmen begin to trade blows.

Yuuri can hardly believe it, but the two seem to be equally matched.

It’s almost as if Marth can tell what Victor is going to do before he does it.

“You’re good”, the silver-haired prince compliments through gritted teeth as their blades lock, “Tell me, who taught you to fight like that?”

The question seems to enrage Marth even more and he swings again with even greater force.

“My father!”, he yells, slashing at the heir to Ylisse.

But his anger lowers his accuracy and the leader of the Shepherds is able to dodge the attack.

“And who’s your father?”, Victor asks, swinging his sword upward.

“I’ve done enough talking! Shut up and fight already!”, Marth parries.

Yuuri misses the next several minutes of his friend’s battle, because he has to engage two couples of the opposing fighters that approach him.

Fortunately, they have little resistance to magic, and a few hits from his Elice tome brings them down. By the time he returns his attention to the fighting figures, the two have their swords locked in another stalemate.

“Admit that I’m the better swordsmen and I’ll surrender,” Marth says in a low voice.

“What?”, Victor gasps in surprise, “Why would you…?”

“Don’t be stupid. Ylisse needs aid. I’m Ylissean, you numskull, what the hell do you think my terms for fighting were?”, Marth growls, “But then you showed up and fucked up everything I’ve planned for so long. How do you think, it will look if the Exalt…’s heir loses? Admit defeat to me and I’ll pretend you fucking won, okay?”

“Hmm…”, the leader of the Shepherds appears to be thinking, but he does not lower his blade. The masked swordsman does not lower his blade either, but he smirks as if he’s confident in what the Ylissean Noble will decide on doing.

“Sorry, but you’re not better than me!”, the prince finally says, grinning broadly, “You haven’t landed a single blow either!”

He draws his sword back, holding it in a protective stance.

A good choice, considering the blond man’s next actions.

“Fucking gods! You’re a real piece of shit!”, Marth shouts furiously, jabbing his sword forward in frustration, though again it misses the heir to the throne of the Halidom of Ylisse. The two fighters are clearly evenly matched; who comes out on top would probably fall to luck that is if the Shepherd’s Commander had been fighting alone. However, it would be irresponsible to take such a chance when lives are at stake. Moreover, the prince is not fighting alone, even if Marth hasn’t realized it yet.

The icy blast strikes the green-eyed fighter from the side, surprising him enough that Victor can get a few hits in. Marth raises his sword again, but another blast of magic forces him to flinch back. With no defence, the silver-haired sword fighter is able to finally disarm him.

“Shit”, Marth hisses, “Why the fuck am I even surprised?”

His head turns towards the amnesiac, but with the black mask obscuring his eyes, his expression is unreadable.

“Yuuri! That was so amazing!”, Victor exclaims, immediately running over and pulling Yuuri into a tight embrace, “You sure took your time, but that’s okay! I knew you’d pull through for me!"

The leader of the Shepherds nuzzles his head against him, and Yuuri can’t even bring himself to care that others are watching or that he was just insulted for being late, while dealing with four people on his own.

His hands clutch the back of Victor’s cape as he presses himself closer, euphoria running through his veins.

‘We won. Ylisse will get aid.’

‘Victor will be okay.’

‘We will be okay.’

* * *

“Congratulations, Prince Victor! That was the best tournament I’ve seen in years and not just because I won this time!”, the East Khan praises after the winners have been officially announced, “You’ve earned my respect and certainly you have your alliance. I’ll provide the soldiers you need.”

“Thank you, Celestino!”, Victor says happily, much more relaxed now that the alliance has been secured.

“I should thank you! It feels like ages since I’ve held full power. Come, my new friends! Tonight, we feast!”, the Warrior says joyously and starts to walk to the banquet hall.

Most of the Shepherds follow him out, but before Victor, Yuuri and Mila can leave, along with Yakov trailing them, a middle-aged woman with dark medium-length hair and dark eyes enters. She is dressed in a red battle suit and clearly of the Hero-class.

“Hmph. Any excuse for a party and Celestino jumps on it”, the Heroine mutters, giving Victor a piercing look as she speaks.

“Ah! Yes, indeed!”, the heir to the throne of Ylisse agrees, “Er, dear lady, have we met before?”

“You do not recognize the West Khan you so rudely removed from power just recently?”, she asks coolly.

“Oh, Khan Min-so! Your Grace!”, the prince exclaims, “Forgive me, with all the excitement I never got to greet you properly!”

“Excitement, indeed. That was quite the battle you fought. I thought for sure that I had picked the stronger man”, Min-so says, clicking her tongue.

“Are you talking about the mysterious, masked Marth?”, Victor asks curiously, “What do you know about him?”

“Frightfully little”, the West Khan replies, furrowing her eyebrows, “He showed up claiming to be an Ylissean sellsword. He demanded Feroxi aid to Ylisse if he won. Imagine my surprise when Ylissean royalty shows up asking Celestino for the same thing”, she narrows her eyes, “Thus, I take it you did not send him.”

“We did not”, the Ylissean Noble agrees with a huff.

“Well, he’s gone now, anyway. Up and fled the instant the tournament ended”, the Heroine shrugs.

“That’s a shame. I wanted to talk to him”, the silver-haired man sighs disappointed that Marth got away again without being recruited for their cause, “He’s great with a sword and he’s so cool, when he’s not yelling.”

“Don’t tell me you’re his fan now, Vitya”, Mila teases smirking, “What will our poor Yuuri think with you favouring someone else?”

“Yuuri knows, he’s my favourite”, Victor says, resting his elbow casually on his second-in-command’s right shoulder, “We’re each other’s favourites! Right, Yuuri?”

“I don’t know, Victor. I’m growing really fond of Celestino. Maybe he’s my new favourite”, the magic user says dryly, but he leans into the prince’s touch and smiles sheepishly.

“Ahh, how could you be so mean to your poor Commander?”, Victor asks, sighing as he places a hand over his heart.

The grin tugging at his lips ruins the overall effect, though.

Yakov interrupts them with an annoyed, but strict cough, “As enlightening as this conversation has been, we should be getting on our way”, he says sternly, “We must prepare to leave in the morning. The Exalt will want news of the alliance at once.”

“You’re right”, the Captain of the Shepherds nods, keeping his arm on Yuuri, “We’ll eat and then we’ll prepare.”

“Wait”, the West Khan says, holding up her hand to pause them, “Before you go, I have a little present for you.”

A dark-haired Myrmidon in a dark blue battle suit with dark eyes enters behind her, a neutral expression on his face.

“This is Seung-gil Lee, my former champion”, Min-so informs them smiling, “Not much for talking, mind you, but peerless with the sword. As good as Marth in my mind. In fact, I have no idea, how Marth beat him.”

“Really, Marth beat this guy? But he looks so strong!”, Mila exclaims, stepping forward curiously, “Hmm, and pretty good-looking, too.”

“Away, woman!”, Seung-gil snaps harshly.

“Ah, yes, Seung-gil has never been much for, er… flattery, shall we say. The ladies tend to put him on edge”, Min-so says, a small smile gracing her features, “Nonetheless, he is capable. Perhaps he even has the makings of a Khan. Consider him West Ferox’s contribution to the Ylissean cause against Plegia.”

“Sure”, Victor agrees thankfully to get more manpower to his Shepherds from unexpected sources, “Seung-gil, you have any objections?”

“She gives orders. I stab people. I think our roles are clear”, Seung-gil says shortly and gruff.

“…Well, okay then! Welcome to the Ylissean Shepherds! We are glad to have you on board, Seung-gil!”, Victor says cheerfully in return.

* * *

They make it back to Ylisstol in good time, though, unfortunately, they have to fight several hordes of Risen along the way.

Most of the Shepherds head to the garrison as soon as they get back to recharge before their next mission, but Victor, Mila and Yakov have to meet with Exalt Arina to exchange information.

And because Victor wants him to, Yuuri attends the meeting as well.

If the sovereign finds his presence out of place, she doesn’t comment on it, instead focusing all her attention on her heir’s report.

“I see, so Regna Ferox has pledged their support to Ylisse”, his grandmother nods approvingly, “Good work, Victor. I knew sending you as my representative was the right choice.”

“Thank you, grandmother”, the prince says politely.

Arina stares at him expectantly.

“Is something the matter, dear grandmother?”, the heir to throne sounds a little confused because of her silence and the staring.

“No, I just thought, you wanted to gush about Ferox ferocious warriors and their amazing strength”, the Exalt smiles sharply.

“Dear grandmother you should know me better than…”, Victor tries but the Sage raises her eyebrow and he gives in, the switch is instant, “Granny, you should have seen them! They were truly amazing! With their help our people will definitely be safe from–“

At this moment Phila rushes into the throne room.

“Your Grace! Milord! Forgive me for the intrusion, but I bring alarming news of the greatest importance!”

The Exalt turns to the Pegasus Knight, trying to calm her, “Phila! Slow down, please! What happened?”

“Plegian soldiers have been sighted inside our southwest border! They attacked a village in Themis and abducted the Duke’s daughter!”, Phila bows slightly, still out of breath, but more collected than before.

Mila gasps terrified, “But that’s Sara! Vitya, we have to– We’ve got to do something!”, she exclaims in horror, picturing her best friend in the hands of the dangerous enemy.

“There’s more: King Gangrel of Plegia claims that Lady Sara invaded his country. He demands we pay reparations for the insult”, Phila says, sneering at the mere idea of doing so.

“We aren’t going to believe someone, who claims the title of Mad King, are we?”, Mila asks angrily, her hands shaking.

“But we can’t give him, the war he wants”, Victor says desperately, “If we do, we lose, no matter what happens! The last war nearly ruined the Halidom! It left Ylisseans homeless and starving. We cannot repeat that mistake and let our people suffer through this again.”

“Peace Mila, Victor. I have not forgotten”, her ladyship says calmly, “We must keep our wits about us. I will offer parley with King Gangrel.”

“Grandmother, you can’t!”, Mila protests exasperated.

“Please reconsider, Your Grace. He can’t be trusted to act in good faith at all!”, Phila adds desperately.

“He can’t be trusted, but war isn’t an option and we can’t leave Sara to die”, Victor says bitterly, understanding his granny’s decision.

“Well said, Victor”, his grandmother tells him, “If that is all, I must prepare to leave. I will depart in two hours.”

“Forgive me, Your Grace, I spoke out of turn”, the leader of the Pegasus Knights bows apologetically, “I know you will stand always by your own principles. Pray, allow the Pegasus Knights to accompany you, though.”

“Thank you, Phila!”, Arina smiles gently at her knight.

The leader of Ylisse stands up, Lilia silently following her ladyship with a deep frown covering her whole face.

“Wait!”, Victor exclaims decisively, “Grandmother, I will come with you. If it’s a trap, I will fight in your defence.”

“I’m coming too!”, Mila insists strongly with conviction, “I need to be there for you and for Sara.”

Arina says nothing for some time, merely gazes at her beloved grandchildren searchingly. Eventually, she nods in approval.

“As you wish. Thank you all. Your strength will be mine.”

They all step out of the throne room, heading to start the preparations.

Mila heads to the garrison to inform the other members of the Shepherds.

After some time, they assemble in one of the east halls of the palace, presenting the new information about the meeting point of the parley before heading out, “Well then! Is everyone ready to go? It’s an exhausting march through the western mountains to the Plegian border. So, I hope everyone is prepared accordingly.” All nod in agreement and the prince gives the signal to head out, when he is tackled by a young black-haired Mage with brown eyes in a cyan-coloured robe.

“Captain! I’m all packed! When do we leave?”, the Wind Mage squeaks full of energy.

“Nikolai? How did you… Go back inside. You’re not old enough for this mission. It’s dangerous!”, Victor sighs deeply.

“But, Captain! You know my skill with magic! You know I can handle myself in combat!”, Nikolai pouts, but the crown prince shakes his head and remembers that the young one hasn’t met Yuuri before.

“Yuuri, this is Nikolai Plisetsky, one of our Royal Mages. He specializes in Wind magic. Nikolai, this is Yuuri, my right hand and the newly appointed second-in-command of our Shepherds.”

The amnesiac blushes at the introduction, but nods and greets the young man with a friendly smile, “My name’s Yuuri. It’s great to meet you! You must be really powerful to be accepted to the round of the Royal Mages at such a young age. It speaks of your hard work. Truly impressive.”

Nikolai turns slightly pink at the compliments.

And he knows that he will get along with Yuuri very well, as he isn’t looked down upon because of his young age, but instead recognized for his efforts in doing his best as a Royal Mage.

Victor sighs, “Yes, he is. However, I’d feel safer with your magic here, protecting the garrison. All right? We’re off, then. Be good”, he pets the boy gently on his head, then turns to follow the others and Nikolai is left alone in the big hallway.

“Be good? Gods, how old does he think I am? ...Well, I’ll show him just how good I can be! Victor won’t know, what will hit him”, he declares full of confidence and runs after them.

He will prove himself to his idol and his comrades.

He is a Shepherd after all.


	7. The Exalt and The King

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the Exalt, Victor and his friends try to "negotiate" with the Mad King.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey^^
> 
> Have fun with the ongoing story!
> 
> Love, Ria

The border between Ylisse and Plegia is rocky and filled with cliffs, making it a difficult terrain to navigate. Their neighbour is a country filled with desserts, here and there some waterfilled oasis and a lot of mountain ranges. It has a lot of riches like gold and other jewels, mined in the mountains or found in the desserts.

However, it is poor concerning other natural resources as Victor explains to Yuuri during their haste to the outskirts. The entourage hurries down the roads of Ylisse as fast as they can as the retinue knows that patience and generosity aren’t virtues of the infamous Mad King.

When they finally make it to meeting point for the parley, the Plegian King and his royal guards, as well as some brigands have already stationed themselves at the top of one of the rocky formations.

The way they tower above the Ylisseans sends a clear message: We’re more powerful than you. Quiver in our superiority and do what we say.

“What’s this, then? The Exalt in all her radiance? I fear, I must shield my eyes! Bwa ha ha ha!”, Gangrel, a red-haired man with light brown-red eyes and a trident beard, cackles, swinging his Levin Sword playfully around, as the ruler of Ylisse approaches him, flanked by the Pegasus Knights, Mila and Victor to ensure her protection.

The King of Plegia’s golden and red-brown robes definitely scream egocentrically maniac and truly represent his egoistical and narcistic demeanour.

Yuuri isn’t sure, what he had expected of a royal, nicknamed the ‘Mad King’, but the Plegian ruler’s appearance and unbelievable behaviour truly tipped the scales of his imaginations.

However, the amnesiac thinks the nickname fits him without a doubt.

He wouldn’t have come up with a better fitting one, even if he tried.

“King Gangrel, I’ve come for the truth of the unfortunate incident between us”, Exalt Arina speaks, clear and confident.

“The truth? I can give you the truth”, a black- and white-haired woman, dressed in a black outfit with an obscenely low front cut, showing off her cleavage and strange tattoos on her face and chest, next to Gangrel says, her voice derisive in its sugary sweetness.

“Perhaps Milady might first share her name?”, Her Highness suggests, her words scathingly polite and neutral.

“You may call me Aversa, Your Majesty”, the woman replies and curtsies sweetly for the ruler of Ylisse.

The smile she gives is not kind and Yuuri shivers internally.

The Mage instantly has a bad feeling about her. She seems vicious, manipulative and intimidatingly intelligent in contrast to the current ruler of Plegia. Yuuri thinks that this ‘Aversa’ is the perfect embodiment of a dreadful talented schemer, knowing how to use her talents to the fullest capacity possible. Her body language may seem submissive and polite, while greeting the Exalt, but her light brown-red eyes scream ‘Be careful or I will eat you alive, if you don’t be careful’.

He knows this woman shouldn’t be underestimated in any way.

“Very well, Lady Aversa”, the Sage acknowledges, “Is Lady Sara unharmed?”

“Who?”, the Trickster Gangrel asks, his brow furrowing in slight confusion, “Oh, you mean the little brat.”

One of the brigands behind him steps forward, pushing his captive along. Sara, with her hands and feet bound, doesn’t stop struggling, even though she knows that she can’t break free like that.

“Unhand me, you brigand!”, she exclaims with anger. Yuuri lets out a breath of relief. She seems unharmed and in good temper, thank the gods!

“Sara!”, Mila shouts relieved to see her best friend alive and still full of energy, “Sara, are you okay?”

“Mila!”, Sara calls back delighted to hear her voice, “Yes, but the bastards stole my weapons! The nerve! Why, if my feet were free, I’d—“

The brigand holding her in custody, places a hand over her mouth, smothering whatever else she intended to say.

“This girl crossed the Plegian border without our consent”, the white-haired Dark Flier tells them with a look of utter betrayal, shaking her head in disbelief, “And what’s more, she wounded the brave Plegian soldiers who sought only to escort her safely home.”

The brigand lets out a painful yelp and then the Duke’s daughter is shouting again, clearly furious at the accusations, “Lies! You speak nothing but lies, you hag old! You wretched crone! Did they not teach you the meaning of the word truth when you were in school?”

“You see? No manners at all”, Aversa continues, sighing loudly, “Such a nasty little bird simply had to be caged.”

“Such a violent temper speaks of her guilt. This will call for a weighty punishment”, the Mad King says, grinning with malicious intent, “And if she were to later confess being an Ylissean spy? My goodness! It would take an act of considerable good faith to repair our countries relations!”, he continues mockingly.

“I have done nothing wrong!”, Michele’s sister protests with desperation in her voice, “They are the ones who invaded Ylisse! They razed an entire village and when I attempted to intervene, they took me and dragged me across the border. Let the plundered shops and charred homes of Themis serve as my proof!”

“That would only prove Ylisse has a bandit problem, something I hear of late!”, Gangrel says snidely, “But indeed, tonight I shall weep salty tears into my pillow for your poor dead villagers.”

“You little—“, the Ylissean Knight exclaims furiously.

“I’d like to take an axe and—“, Mila begins, gritting her teeth.

“How dare you—“, Victor shouts in anger.

Their voices ring out at the same time, but the Exalt raises a hand to stop them and continue the parley with the leader of Plegia.

“Peace. I believe Lady Sara. King Gangrel, I request that you release this woman at once”, she says sternly, “You and I can sort out these affairs without resorting to such immature tactics as taking hostages”, the head of Ylisse chastises the ruler’s behaviour.

“Without so much as an apology? Why should I even bother with parley?”, the Trickster continues, growing annoyed, “I’m within my rights to have her head this instant and be home in time for supper!”

“You black-hearted devil!”, the red-haired War Cleric yells infuriated.

The Mad King merely smirks, “Control your dog, my dear, before she gets someone hurt”, he tells Arina with a threatening smirk.

Mila lets out a frustrated growl, but falls silent instantly.

She doesn’t want to add to her friend’s peril.

“Now then, Your Graceliness”, Gangrel continues with drooping sarcastic cheer, “Perhaps we can arrange a trade to repair our fragile relations? You give me the Fire Emblem and I return little Sally here—“

“It’s Sara!”, the Duke’s daughter interrupts.

“—in one piece”, the ruler of Plegia continues, ignoring his hostage.

The Exalt narrows her eyes, “You have the gall to ask for Ylisse’s royal treasure?”, she asks unbelieving, “But Why?”

“Because I know the foretold legend! The Fire Emblem is the key to having all one’s wishes realized!”, Gangrel cackles, “I have desired it for years! Years! And yet my birthday comes and goes every year, and nothing from Ylisse.”

“The Emblem’s power is meant for a single purpose, King Gangrel: to save the world and its people at their hour of most desperate need”, Victor’s grandmother says, “Would you claim a more noble wish?”

“I want what every Plegian wants — a grisly end for every last Ylissean! What could be more noble than that?”, the red-haired Trickster laughs again, even more harshly than before.

“Is that so?”, Ylisse’s ruler’s voice is laced with ice and Gangrel cackles full of mirth and amusement.

Yuuri shivers internally, the parley isn’t going the way he hoped.

But with a ruler titled the Mad King what would someone expect?

He musters the Shepherds expression and turns to the ongoing discussion, averting his gaze when he is met with the stare of the Dark Flier.

“Surely you have not forgotten what the previous Exalt did to my people?”, Gangrel continues full of fury, “Your son named us heathens! His crusade across Plegia butchered countless of my subjects and my kin without conscience!”

“I have never denied my son’s wrongdoings!”, Arina insists confidently but emotional, “But I swore that Ylisse would never go down that path ever again. Ours is now a realm of peace and trust.”

“Yours is now a haven of sheer hypocrisy! Now give me the Fire Emblem!”, the Plegian Trickster demands, clearly out of patience.

“No! Don’t do it! I’d rather die than let these bastards use me as a bargaining chip!”, Sara shouts furiously.

“Ugh… Taaaaaalk talk-talk-talk-talk”, the Mad King drawls, “It's time to speak louder than words! This negotiation is over, Your Luminosity! I shall have the Fire Emblem, even if I have to pry it from your shiny dead hands, Your Gracileness!”

Many brigands run forward, their weapons already aimed at the Ylissean leader, but a blast of strong Ice magic stops them in their tracks as they sink to the ground in pain.

“Stay back!”, Victor shouts protectively, “Or you’ll suffer the same fate!”

“Now that's a declaration of war, if I've ever heard one... A big, messy war that will bleed you Ylisseans dry. Bwa ha ha ha”, Gangrel grins widely, cackling with glee and madness.

Victor grits his teeth together and stays silent.

“Your Grace, we have to evacuate and make space for the upcoming battle. Please follow my lead!”, Phila waves with her left hand and the Pegasus Knights build a barrier around the Exalt to give her time to prepare to move from the upcoming battle grounds.

Aversa turns to Sara contemplating, “Poor, stupid girl… Are you really worth fighting a war over? Years from now darling, you’ll be remembered only as the one who destroyed House Ylisse. What a truly tragic legacy.”

“No… That’s not… Oh Mila… Please, no…”, the female Knight mutters in regret.

Suddenly, Wind magic incapacitates the brigand holding her and Nikolai runs up to her. The Dark Flier is startled and holds in her movement, unsure what to do and make of the sudden appearance of the boy.

“Sara! Go! You’re free!”, the Wind-Mage shouts.

“Nikolai? What are you doing here?”, the Duke’s daughter is speechless, but very grateful for the heroic rescue.

“Just run! We can talk about it later!”, he fixates Aversa in concentration.

“Oh, is this your little boyfriend? Isn’t he just a precious little thing! So full of energy and determination”, she chuckles, amused at the scene.

“Don’t talk down to me, witch!”, says Nikolai and attacks the white-haired woman with one of his spells.

Aversa grunts, startled, “Nngh! W-Wind magic?”

The Shepherd grabs Sarah’s hand and starts running, not waiting for the Dark Flier to recover, “Come on, Sara! Now is our chance to escape!”

The Knight nods in agreement, “Right! We have to get out of here and join the others and help them.”

Together they run off towards the field.

“Wretched whelp! I should… No. Our soldiers have them outnumbered. The brats will be dead long before they can reach their comrades”, Aversa laughs sweetly and turns away to join her King on one of the cliffs.

“Bwa ha ha ha! I have my desired war! Captain Orton! Remain here and take down as many Ylisseans as you can. You can expect reinforcements from the forts as well. Now, do your best – at doing your worst! Bwa ha ha!”, the Mad King grins evilly, before he leaves the battlefield together with the Dark Flier in tow, content in having achieved their goal.

The sky above them darkens and Yuuri looks up to see several Wyvern Riders looming over them menacingly. On the ground Dark Mages and Myrmidons spill out from their previous hiding places.

“It was a trap…”, Yuuri realizes with horror.

“Of course, it was”, Victor agrees dejectedly, “They’ve wanted a war for so long, and now they have it. They’ll pin it on us too, even though technically it was their declaration…”

“Shit, Sara and Nikolai are still stuck up there”, Mila points out, “Gods, they’ll try to kill them before they can join us!”

“Not while I still draw breath!”, Michele declares, drawing his lance.

“Or I!”, the princess agrees, “Michele, team up with me. We’re getting your sister and Nikolai back immediately.”

The rest of the Shepherds take their own positions. Emil rides ahead of Mila and Michele on his horse, clearing their path of as many enemies as he can. Phichit teams up with Seung-gil and the two swordsmen go after the Dark Mages. Yakov rushes to hold off the Myrmidons, while Chris hovers around in the background picking off enemies with his arrows.

And Victor, for once, has not actually given them orders.

Rather, he’s still staring at the rocks Gangrel and Aversa disappeared from. Georgi, Anya, Takeshi and Yuuko are still awaiting orders from their Captain to move out, waiting in silence.

“Victor, what do you want us to do?”, Yuuri asks worriedly, trying to sound confident and logical.

Usually, the prince engages an opponent and the Mage follows his lead or they together come up with a strategy. This new behaviour is frankly speaking terrifying and Yuuri doesn’t know what to do.

More terrifying is the way Victor looks at him with a disoriented expression as if he doesn’t know the answer himself.

“What... What do you think we should do?”, he asks, blinking dazedly.

‘WHY ARE YOU ASKING ME???’, Yuuri wants to scream and shake his friend in desperation.

Everything is going wrong and as good as the Shepherds are, it’s surely impossible for them to win without their Captain’s guidance. So, all things considered, now is a terrible time for Victor to be asking Yuuri anything.

His eyes shift around the battlefield and he tries to imagine what his friend would normally do under these conditions and what he learned from reading the books on strategy. He has to concentrate. They will make it out alive. The amnesiac analyses their current battle state. The Shepherds have most of the ground units covered, but the Wyvern Riders…

Yes, the Wyvern Riders are the biggest threat.

“We need to take out their fliers”, Yuuri says, sounding more confident than he feels, “And stop their enemy leader from reaching Sara and Nikolai.” Victor stares blankly at him, but the Mage is still to occupied with formulating an effective plan in his head.

Ice magic is particularly effective against flying units, so between the two of them, they shouldn’t have much trouble… in theory.

Now to the others. Yuuko has a wide range with her pegasus, but she still needs great back-up to ensure her safety. He comes to a decision.

“Takeshi and Anya join and support Yakov with holding back the Myrmidons. Your strength, speed and range as well as your healing capabilities Anya should give you the advantage. Yuuko I need you with Chris, so that he can cover a wider range and shoot down any fliers near our allies. And Georgi support Phichit and Seung-gil with the Dark Mages. If you are in trouble whistle three times or cast a spell straight up the sky. When the enemy retreats or is defeated, try to join up with the other teams. Strength in numbers gives you an advantage and better defence. Try to look out for soldiers you have a disadvantage to. Victor and I will take care of the fliers and their Captain. Alright, everyone clear with their tasks? Yes? Good then let’s get started!”

After Yuuri’s last words, everyone starts to move out and take their assigned positions, executing his plan.

Yuuri nods and turns to Victor, “Come, we have to deal with the fliers and the enemy Commander!”

“Right. Fliers. Okay”, the Ylissean Noble mumbles, “Let’s go.”

But there’s something wrong. The heir to the throne of Ylisse is still distracted, his eyes glassy, his gaze lost in a whirlwind of a storm and his demeanour impassive and unsettled.

“Wait!”, the bespectacled man calls before the prince can take another step forward towards the enemy, “Victor, you’re not… You’re not at your best right now…”, the amnesiac says hesitantly as to not offend his dear Commander and good friend.

“I know”, Victor says quietly and resigned, “But what am I supposed to do? This is the last thing I ever wanted, Yuuri! But it doesn’t matter what I want, we have no choice but to fight. I…”

“Let me take the lead!”, the Mage insists, “You’re always the one doing most of the fighting. My magic is less powerful than yours, but I can still fight for you, Victor. Just back me up for once!”

The moment he’s said it, Yuuri’s hands fly to his mouth in utter horror.

How could he have spoken so impertinently to his Captain?

Sure, Victor had never let rank affect their personal relationship, but now they’re on a battlefield, and the prince is the leader, and he has given his soldiers commands on how to act, and, oh gods, is this insubordination?

His mind turns in vicious circles and the amnesiac starts sweating.

He turns to the Ylissean Noble waiting for his judgement, but Victor isn’t looking at him with anger.

On the contrary, he seems grateful and relieved.

“Okay”, the silver-haired man agrees, “I’ll support you, Yuuri.”

And despite the reversal of their usual roles, they quickly fall into an easy and well-trained rhythm, the same as they always have.

Yuuri’s strategy turns out victorious for the Ylisseans and they soon have the Plegian soldiers defeated and the axe-wielding enemy Commander named Captain Orton cornered.

With the Ylissean Noble as his support, the magic user quickly takes down the brown-haired Wyvern Rider with a few Ice spells. Victor regains his demeanour again to have it shaken up a bit by the last words of the leader of the enemy unit, “This matters not. Soon war will be upon…your soil…”

However, Yuuri lays his hand on the prince’s right shoulder, giving him a look full of supportive courage with the messages ‘I’m here for you’ and ‘You are not alone in this’. Victor stares at him, his expression unreadable, but nods after a while, smiling gently back at him and Yuuri is sure that they will overcome the upcoming trials together.

* * *

When the rest of the enemy soldiers are defeated, the Shepherds regroup, this time with Sara and Nikolai in tow.

“I’m sorry for all the trouble! And thank you Nikolai for the rescue”, the female Knight apologizes and thanks her saviour, “I should have known those rotten Plegians were planning something, but I couldn’t just stand by, while they destroyed an entire village!”

“Sara, it wasn’t your fault!”, Mila insists, hugging her tightly, glad that her friend is with them again, “We’re just happy you’re safe!”

“You’re welcome! And yes, it wasn’t your fault!”, Nikolai states.

“Sara! They… They didn’t injure you, did they?”, Michele asks, “I shouldn’t have left you. I know you can fight. This never would have happened, if you weren’t alone.”

“Oh, Mickey!”, the Duke’s daughter cries, “I’m sorry, I said all those mean things to you! But I saw the way you fought today and it only confirmed, what I already knew! We fight better when we’re apart!”

“B-But Sara, I—“, her brother begins to protest.

“Let’s find new partners, Mickey! We’ll be the best knights in Ylisse, on our own”, his baby sister insists, grinning at her pouting big brother.

“I’ll back you up on this, Sara”, Mila says happily, putting a hand on her right shoulder, “Even though you’re already the best knight in the whole Halidom of Ylisse in my eyes.”

The two women smile at each other and Yuuri breathes a sigh of relief.

Now that the adrenaline of battle has left him, he just wants to curl up into a ball and recover from the ordeal and everything he did today.

He leans into Victor beside him and the prince responds by gently wrapping an arm around him.

The amnesiac feels cosy and tired, enjoying the warmth.

Alas, they cannot yet rest.

Not with the war coming up against the ruler of Plegia.

After a full regrouping, they head to a near hill, meeting the Exalt and her knights to discuss the past battle and their circumstances in general.

“The Mad King fled as soon as the battle began”, Victor explains when he meets up with his grandmother, “I suspect he’s rallying his forces, if he hasn’t mobilized them already. “

“Indeed”, Yakov agrees, ”I suggest we hurry back to Ylisstol and discuss our strategy for the upcoming battles.”

“Of course, Yakov. It seems war is upon us”, the ruler of Ylisse says, “We must prepare for it and protect the Ylissean people at all cost.”

Victor balls his fists, “Forgive me, grandmother. I acted rashly and brought disaster upon our entire Halidom…”

Exalt Arina looks perplexedly at her grandson, “It’s all right, Vitya. King Gangrel is the one at fault here. You were only protecting me and your friends. And even if it wouldn’t had happened today… It was only a matter of time anyway. So, let’s start with what we can do and consider the possibilities from now on. We have the duty as leaders of our country to stay level-headed, calm and rational to succeed. Let’s return to Ylisstol as our first step in many to come to ready ourselves.”

After coming to an agreement with her beloved grandchild the ruler of the Halidom and the Pegasus Knights make haste to the castle and the Shepherds follow silently behind on foot.

Yuuri joins Victor’s side shortly, giving his right hand a quick squeeze of reassurance, before engaging Phichit in a discussion about sword fighting styles and feints. The prince’s gaze still lingers on the Mage, when Chris starts walking next to him talking about his incredible experience of flying in the sky, while shooting down on his enemies.

They arrive at Ylisstol before sundown that day, all members exhausted from the previously fought battle. His grandmother decides to give the planning of the necessities for the war one week and another to clarify the details as her soldiers also need to rest and replenish their resources for the upcoming brutal war with their enemy Plegia.

Yuuri along with Seung-gil gets finally shown to his own lodgings in the Shepherd’s garrison by his apparent very eager and happy neighbour Phichit. He brightly shows them their respective lodgings and gives them time to take everything in. Yuuri is bright-eyed when he enters his new domain through the door. The amnesiac’s room is 15m2 big, located on the first floor and has a window to the east, so the morning sun will help him wake up every day. His personal space is equipped with a simple bed, a small night-table with a lamp, a dresser with a mirror next to it, an ordinary desk with a wooden chair and a small, empty bookshelf.

It has a great overview of the surrounding garden of the garrison with the city in the background. His only neighbours are Phichit to his left and Seung-gil vis-à-vis. When the magic user and the Myrmidon are done freshening up and putting some stuff in their respected rooms, the Mercenary gives them a tour around the garrison before they plan to have a big party with the entirety of the Shepherds in a tavern in the capitol.

“So as you already both know the main entrance is on the northern side with the big hall for strategic meetings. Sometimes we also play some card games with each other or have various discussions in the evening. To put it in a nutshell, it’s a socializing spot for all of us to interact, mingle merrily and strengthen our bonds”, Phichit exclaims grinning. When he looks at Seung-gil’s unimpressed stare and Yuuri’s nervous glance, the Mercenary sighs. He has his future work on grooming their newcomers into social gentlemen cut out for him. Well, challenge accepted! Phichit claps his hands excitedly together and continues the touring, “There are two staircases to the first floor. One is leading to the rooms of the women, which is a taboo for all male creatures in the garrison if you don’t want to get murdered for taking a peak uninvited and the other one leads to further storage rooms. I call them storage rooms because they are mostly unused and are in undeniable need of cleaning, but nobody wants to do the job when it’s not particularly necessary. But to put it in a nutshell, they are just dusty lodgings for possible future members of our group. Well then, our personal library and the dining hall are on the west side, as well as the stables for the horses and pegasi. The stables can be accessed from the outside or from the hall between the dining room and the kitchens. The baths are hidden by the staircase to the female’s quarters. Next to it is a small storage room for food and other cooking supplies; and then there is our little baby, the holy armoury”, he dramatically points to said room, taking a small bow before continuing, “To the right of the entrance is the indoor training room and the toilettes near our living quarters divided into males and females. The rest of the rooms on the first floor are either occupied by our friends or still empty, waiting to be filled. Oh! Before I forget the kitchen has a secret door to a winery and if you find any more interesting hidden places, I am all ears! It’s always fun discovering novelties! And when you wish to find me: during my spare time, I am mostly at the armoury or in the training room or outside honing my skills… I’m always open for other cool or funny suggestions to pass the time! Hmm… I think that was all that I should tell you about for now. Does one of you have other questions?”, Phichit quirks his eyebrows.

Seung-gil shakes his head but Yuuri raises his hand, a pink hue dusting his round cheeks, fidgeting with the other hand in awkwardness, “Em… can you please describe to me the way to the castle again? Mila didn’t give me time to remember the way properly, when she took me with her to the garrison and I was too overwhelmed to think about it back then…”

The Mercenary snickers, knowing Mila’s antics as well as being very amused at Yuuri’s schoolboy behaviour, “You don’t have to raise your hand like in school, Yuuri! And well: exit the garrison, then follow the garden path to the entrance, go right and follow straight, then pass the knight’s barracks and turn left when you see an old statue of a man on horseback. Then you’ve entered the palace grounds et voilà you are in front of the palace. From that point on it depends where you want to go.”

The amnesiac nods, “Thanks. I hope, I will get the hang of it soon! This place is huge and everything seems to me like a big scary labyrinth.”

The Myrmidon smiles gently and the Mercenary answers: “I’m sure you will!”, then he turns to the brown grandfather-clock on the wall to check the time, “Oh we should get going! Party time my friends! Come with me! I think the others are already waiting for us and we don’t want them to get any more impatient than they already are!”

The tan man confidently takes the stoic sword fighter and the bespectacled magic user by their hands and drags them with finality into the direction of the big entrance of their new home.

And Yuuri smiles warmly, feeling like a strong ache finally settled deep inside him, being content and sated at knowing that at long last, he has finally found a place to belong to.

He wouldn’t change it for the world.


	8. Friends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Victor has to deal with the preparations for the upcoming war with Plegia, while Yuuri gets to celebrate with the Shepherds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey^^
> 
> Wish you fun!
> 
> Love, Ria

Victor sighs deeply as he pretends to look over the pile of endless reports his grandmother had ordered to deliver to him during his walk to Ylisstol.

How could someone be so efficient, when the war declaration only happened some few hours ago? The Ylissean Noble groans envisioning the workload to come, knowing that these files are only the start for a future explosion of desk work. He takes a deep breath. His grandmother truly is an amazing Exalt. Efficient, graceful, kind, level-headed, representing Ylisse’s greatest virtues. The crown prince doubts that he will ever be as marvellous and just as her, when it is his time to take the throne. The silver-haired man shakes his head at the thought.

He hopes that it will be a long time before his coronation takes place.

Because to tell the truth Victor doesn’t feel the least bit ready to shoulder the responsibility of a whole country, at least not on his own.

With the right partner at his side to support and aid him, however, the royal believes that he could manage somehow.

But then again, the term ‘marriage’ is easier said than done.

And the silver-haired man truly only wants to marry for love.

He doesn’t want a political arrangement. Therefore, the Ylissean Noble adores his grandmother that she indulges him in that aspect as his mother’s and father’s marriage was one of convenience and well, his granny told him that they respected each other, however, there was never really much affection between them. And with her dying after childbirth their time to grow fond of each other had been very limited. Some could even say that the possibility of coming to care for another deeply was suffocated at the very roots, not even giving them a chance to come to a proper understanding for each other. To find someone to devote himself to and be cared and respected in return is Victor’s childhood dream since his wet nurse read to him all those fairy tales about finding your true love and living blissful together, having your happily ever after with your soulmate.

Now, he knows that tales are mostly just myths and castles built in the sky, waiting for dreamers to reach for them in their past time.

And Victor may be a romantic, whimsical dreamer at heart, however he is already living in the ever-changing plains of reality.

His childhood and teenage years have shown him the colours of humankind all too often. Moreover, the prince hasn’t been any better, destroying fairy tales of the gentle Prince Charming on his own by trampling on other people’s feelings himself without regarding their broken hearts. But even though the Ylissean Noble should know better, even though, he wasn’t an angel himself, he still has started hoping again for possibly having a romantic relationship based on equality, regard and tenderness, filled with warm, caring smiles and pure adoration.

His thoughts drift to Yuuri, his ever-surprising enigma.

Maybe, if they get to know each other better…

The Ylissean Noble shakes his head, trying to collect himself.

This is not the time to consider his growing infatuation with the Mage.

The crown prince massages his forehead and tries to concentrate on the royal documents on his dark brown work desk.

‘I can do this. I have to. It is my duty.’

The silver-haired man scans over the sheets again.

‘How many soldiers? How much money? What kind of weapons?’ Everything blurs together in his mind and even though he understands the importance, he just can’t bring himself to focus.

It might help, if Yuuri was here. His Mage always makes him feel better.

With Yuuri, he never has to pretend that he knows what he’s doing, never has to pretend that he’s ready for the path of war, they’re about to tread.

But the heir to the throne of Ylisse can’t talk to him right now, because the magic user is in town with some of the other Shepherds, hopefully enjoying himself, toasting to their successful rescue of Sara and their victory in battle. And this development is, technically, Victor’s fault, because when he told the Shepherds, they should head out to a tavern for a spot of fun – the atmosphere may be heavy, but he needs them to smile, or else he’s afraid, he won’t be able to – he had also refused to go himself, citing the need to work. And when Yuuri had asked, “Shouldn’t I stay here and help you with sorting the documents?”, Victor had turned him down, even though he had desperately wanted to agree.

But the strength of the Shepherds comes from the bonds between the members and how can Yuuri bond with them if Victor is hogging him to himself all the time? He can’t be that selfish!

At least, that’s what the cerulean-eyed royal had thought at the time, but now, in his Yuuri-less room, he wishes that he had at least gone with the others to enjoy the evening together in harmony and peace.

Alas, all the prince has right now is paperwork and his thoughts.

And he doesn’t like it at all.

So, when the heir to the throne hears a knock at his door, Victor practically leaps out of his chair, even though it’s probably just someone bringing him more boring reports about the upcoming war preparations.

He’s surprised when he opens the door and sees Chris standing there, a pile of papers in hand. Oh, so it is reports again but with a nice addition.

Maybe he can rope him into helping him out.

“Can I come in, cheri?”, his friend asks with a wink.

“Of course”, the Ylissean Noble agrees, stepping aside to let him enter.

Chris dumps the reports haphazardly onto Victor’s desk, then immediately makes himself at home on the prince’s cosy bed.

“You’ve been scarce lately”, his best friend complains, “I had to resort to running errands just to find you, cheri.”

“Sorry”, Victor murmurs apologetically, feeling ashamed for neglecting his friend, “Not exactly a glamorous job for the Duke of Rosanne, is it?”

“Former Duke of Rosanne”, the Archer reminds him with a pointed stare.

“Ah. Right”, the Ylissean Noble mutters, avoiding his gaze, “Your people are calling you a traitor now or so I’ve heard from some reports… My sincerest apologies.”

“Better they live betrayed than die out of loyalty to me”, Chris says calmly, but his eyes are a storm.

And Victor can respect that. His friend had done, what he needed to do in order to protect his people. The Commander of the Shepherds would like to say, he would do the same thing in his position, except… The thought of his people cursing his name sickens him to his bones, and he’s not sure, he could ever abandon them without a proper fight, even if it would save their lives if he would have decided otherwise. However, he certainly doesn’t say that, not wanting to hurt his friend any more than he already is deep inside.

“It’s hard to believe that a lone conqueror could sweep over the whole lands of Valm in such a short time”, the silver-haired man darkly says instead. It is truly terrifying to even think about one entity causing so much chaos and bloodshed in less than a decade.

“It’s a complete mess down there, believe me”, the former Duke says with a deep and tired sigh, his face looking much older as it would become of someone under the age of twenty, “Some days, I’m even glad to be away from all of it, just living a peaceful life in the bliss of ignorance.”

“You know, you’re always welcome in Ylisse”, Victor tries to cheer his oldest and best friend up a little, but means this with every word spoken. He likes having Chris here. It never gets boring with Christophe and his antics.

Chris looks up at him then and his expression shifts in a strange way and Victor raises an eyebrow.

“You know, I haven’t thanked you yet”, the Archer purrs seductively, his eyes half-lidded.

Victor stiffens immediately and he doesn’t know why. Few Years ago, he and the Archer had some wild moments together. And now that they’re both adults of 19 and 18 years, with the Duke being the younger one, they’re still just as attractive, and really, they could enjoy themselves like in the past again. Chris is right here, willing and it’s not like Victor is going to get much work done without his Yuuri to motivate him anyway. But he just can’t. It feels wrong. His gut instinct screams against it.

“You don’t need to thank me, Chris”, he says with decisiveness, grabbing one of the reports his comrade had brought him and looking down at it. It’s not a very subtle rejection, but the Archer has seen teenage Victor act a lot less subtle and harsh before.

Fortunately, the green-eyed man doesn’t take offense, just falls back into the pillows and relaxes in the too large bed.

“I thought that it might go like that”, he says after making himself comfortable, “Now that you’ve got your eyes on someone.”

An unwanted blush rises to Victor’s cheeks. He is busted.

“Yes”, he admits, because there’s no point in lying about his daily deepening feelings for Yuuri, his beautiful and smart little piglet.

Indeed, if it were the Mage on that bed looking at him like Chris had, the Ylissean Noble wouldn’t have even thought about hesitating.

“Good for you”, the Archer chuckles warmly, “Yuuri’s sweet.”

“Right?”, Victor sighs adoringly, “He’s amazing. He is so cute and intelligent like a little piglet. But don’t tell him that. It seems, he doesn’t like the nickname one bit. Whatever, have you seen his eyes? I could get lost in them for my whole life and I wouldn’t get bored. It’s like there is a whole galaxy in them, just waiting to be discovered… And he’s so talented and witty. I don’t even know, how I ever managed without him for all these past years... And then his blush… He’s just so perfect.”

Chris gazes at him intensely for a moment, while the prince keeps gushing about the magic user, searching Victor’s face for something specific, which he seems to have found as his face turns fond, proud and dreamy.

“He’s good for you”, he says at last, breaking the prince’s rambling about the newest addition to the Shepherds, “You need someone, who’ll stay by your side, supporting and caring for you. And Yuuri is a very good choice. He brings the best out in you. Hold on to him, cheri.”

The intensity of the situation lasts for two whole seconds, before Chris diffuses it, offering Victor a knowing grin. He closes his eyes then, rolling onto his side and pressing his face into the pillows.

“Chriiiiiis”, the crown prince whines frustrated, “You aren’t really going to take a nap, are you? Who’s going to help me with all this paperwork?”

“Yuuri?”, his best friend suggests, “Seems like the sort of thing a second-in-command would do. And he truly deserves that title after our last battle, cheri. You were totally out of it. I don’t think, we would’ve managed without him. It could have totally ended badly, very badly”, he continues languidly, causing the Ylissean Noble to let out another whine.

“If you’re going to be mean, you can sleep on the floor”, Victor says with a pout, however, knows that his friend is stating the truth.

Chris laughs, shifting into a sitting position as he blinks his eyes open.

“Okay, okay”, he says, waving his hands in placation, “What have you got there? Educate me and I will try to help to my best abilities”, the Archer suggests teasingly and gets a raised eyebrow of the Ylissean royal in response.

The cerulean-eyed man huffs and grabs the report he had been reading before Chris’s entrance and their heart-to-heart discussion. His eyes scan across it, but though he knows, he was just looking at it, none of the words seem familiar to him. He sighs. This will be a long night.

“I think, I’ll start from the beginning of this one”, he says dejectedly, “I don’t remember at all what I was reading and thinking about before your appreciated interruption…”

“Can’t blame you, cheri! I wasn’t too fond of desk work myself”, Chris smiles knowingly and furrows his brow, trying to concentrate on the matter at hand. The two then get started on reading and somehow dealing with the piles of documents as best as they can, totally lost in the never-ending labyrinth of reports and appeals.

It is truly a vexing kind of duty, but even though they work for hours, the heir to the throne of Ylisse finds that it isn’t quite as bad as before when he was alone. He smiles to himself.

It is great to have good allies and friends.

* * *

The tavern is filled with lots of people from all classes drinking, eating and singing loudly, full of joy. The Shepherds are seated on one of the bigger tables in a back room reserved for private parties. Yuuri sits at the honour seat with his comrades cheering and toasting to him, celebrating his now official position as second-in-command of the Shepherds.

He smiles shyly at his friends, embarrassed at their brazen antics.

“To our Yuuri! Second-in-command and future tactician of the incredible Ylissean Shepherds!”, Phichit exclaims smiling brightly, raising his to-the-brim-filled glass for another merry toast.

The other Shepherds raise their liquor-filled glasses in bold agreement.

Yuuri is startled and he shakes his head nervously and embarrassed, trying to signal that this is going too far.

“Phichit! I am not the tactician of the Shepherds! Victor…”, the magic user clears his throat, “I mean our Commander is responsible for that! He is our amazing strategist! I’m not suitable for this position! I don’t have the needed qualifications for the job!”

There is a moment of silence before the whole table bursts into laughter of disbelief, patting the amnesiac amicable on the shoulder.

Yuuri grunts, annoyed for not be taken seriously and crosses his arms.

Mila whips her tears of laughter away, “You can’t be serious, Yuuri! If you don’t have the qualifications for being our lead tactician than who does anyway?”

“We wouldn’t have been able to win the last battle without you giving commands and manoeuvring our units through the enemy lines!”, Sara adds approvingly and proud at the dark-haired man.

“You clearly knew, what to do, when we needed someone to direct our attacks.”, Seung-gil says stoically.

“But you all started taking actions on your own. You didn’t need me that much…”, Yuuri trails off, trying to prove his point.

“Yes, we know how to combat, Yuuri. But we did need someone, who oversees the whole battle, giving the right orders to attack, defend and support in the right places at the right time”, Michele scoffs annoyed.

The others turn with surprised expressions to the Knight.

“What?!? You all think the same. I just stated the facts!”, he defends himself and crosses his arms, a pink hue rising on his cheeks.

“You were truly amazing, Yuuri!”, Georgi turns back from staring at Michele to continue their conversation, “Your orders were clear and sharp as a knife. You really are worthy of your position as second-in-command and future lead strategist of the Shepherds.”

Anya sips at her drink, “You have the capabilities of a leader and the sharp instincts of a strategist. I can prove it.”

Yuuri bits his lips, “But Victor would have done so much better than me! Victor has so much more experience! Victor …”

“Victor was in no state of mind to command us or oversee the battle with a clear mind in any way, Yuuri!”, Phichit’s face is stern, “If you hadn’t been there, I doubt, the battle would have ended well.”

“Phichit! You know that isn’t–”, Yuuri shouts, but is interrupted by a wave of Yuuko’s hand. He stills.

“He is right, Yuuri!”, Yuuko looks down at her hands first, then staring sharply into his eyes, “Our Captain was in a state of shock at the start of the battle. His Highness wasn’t able to lead an army in any way possible during this occasion. And we all are good single fighters, but don’t know that much about taking command of a whole squad. We trust His Highness and rushed into battle… At least the ones, who knew where to start of… But if you weren’t there…”, she turns her hands into fists.

Takeshi takes her left hand in his and continues, “What we want you to understand is, that you were essential for the mission and without you, there would have been great causalities. So, stop berating yourself.”

Phichit swings an arm up to Yuuri’s shoulders and smiles, “Just accept it already, Yuuri! You are more than what meets the eye! You are talented, intelligent, a natural leader and a force to be reckoned with. You are undoubtfully a very special person to have in our ranks!”, the Mercenary notices that the Mage wants to protest, so he quickly adds, “Furthermore, quit your whining already! Tonight is a celebration to our victory! So, less berating, instead more drinking and partying!”

Phichit throws his glass of booze into the air and toasts again to victory and the whole team starts merrily drinking and talking again.

Yuuri reluctantly gives in and starts drinking with his companions.

He thinks, he should have stayed behind with Victor to help him sort the documents, but the prince had told him to spend some time with his new friends for bonding and having fun.

Phichit swings his arms again over Yuuri’s shoulder and sings the Ylissean Anthem with hitched breath, some of the Shepherds joining him.

Yuuri giggles amused at the sight. The Mage downs his booze and orders another, then tries to catch the lyrics to sing along.

Maybe tonight wouldn’t be so bad.

* * *

The next morning, he wakes up with a great headache, no memories after his sixth or seventh glass of booze and the mystery of his lost trousers.


	9. The Duties of a Second-In-Command

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey^^
> 
> And another chapter to enjoy <3
> 
> Love, Ria

Yuuri groans after finally getting out of the bed and holds his aching head.

He really shouldn’t have drunk so much yesterday.

The Mage sighs and gets dressed quickly, hoping his headache will go away as fast as possible. He takes a look at the clock and sighs again.

It shows 05:30 in the morning. He groans in contempt.

At least he woke up earlier then he had expected.

He turns again to his bed to rest a little while longer, when there is a knock at his door and he responds automatically with “Come in.”

Georgi enters the room with a gentle smile, “Good morning, Yuuri! Have you slept well? How is your head?”

Yuuri groans again and holds his still mercilessly throbbing head.

“Thought so. Here, against the hangover”, the Fire Mage chuckles and gives him a green potion to drink.

The second-in-command nods and gulps down the strange liquid.

He feels better instantly, “Thank you.”

The Royal Mage waves his hands, “No problem. You will need your wits today. So better restore your mental capacity after last night”, he grins widely, but Yuuri just gives him a confused look.

“Georgi, I don’t remember anything after the sixth or the seventh glass of booze. I’m total blank after that!”

The Royal Mage’s eyes go wide, then he laughs loudly and whispers, “We all thought so too. I have to tell Phichit that he won the bet.”

“What was that?”, Yuuri tries to focus but fails, massaging his temples.

“Well”, Georgi starts again, “Before helping His Highness today, you have some lessons to attend to. I’m here to guide you to the teaching rooms. But before that you should eat some breakfast.” He snips his fingers and two maids with trays of food and water come in. They giggle amused, when they look at the Mage in his bed-head state.

“Lessons? Did I miss something?”, Yuuri wrinkles his eyebrows deep in thought, while starting to eat hungrily, while the ladies in waiting excuse themselves and leave the room, stifling further laughter.

“Not exactly…”, the Royal Mage says amused, then looks at the clock and adds, “We should be on our way. You have a tight schedule today!”

After that he takes Yuuri by the hand and guides him to his lessons, which turn out to be about Ylissean history, politics, international relationships, languages, trade, law, military strategy and court manners.

At first, the amnesiac is a little bit overwhelmed with this sudden mass of education coming his way all so suddenly and without warning, then he starts enjoying the teachings the second he gets over his anxiety concerning expectations his tutors may have of him.

It turns out just fine: his instructors are very happy with his eagerness to learn. His history teacher states that he seems to already know a lot about international history and is really fast in linking information together.

His politics and international relationships tutor is also really surprised by the depth of Yuuri’s comprehension of different types of politics and the roles of the different countries to another.

The amnesiac also finds out that he is mostly fluent in every known language spoken on the planet and that he really must have had some education in military strategy, before he lost his memory.

His military teacher even calls him a genius, when he solves a hard-tactical scenario with causalities near to none. And his instructor in law and trade concludes that Yuuri has a great absorption capacity concerning information. Even his strict teacher in court manners notices that he couldn’t have been a normal commoner, before he had amnesia.

He moves too gracefully for that, has a great posture and seems to be able to execute court dances with high level figures. They are also stunned and eager to find out more about his abilities and guess his enigmatic heritage.

Through all the compliments and questions the Mage just blushes and tries to highlight that he isn’t that good and has still a lot to learn.

Yuuri also states that even though his body and part of his mind seems to remember his education, regrettably no memories were triggered to sort out his in mystery shrouded background.

When it turns 12 o’clock Phichit sticks his head into the room and grins at seeing their second-in-command and his instructors still in a heated discussion about his enigmatic abilities.

The sword-man walks slowly over, then clears his voice, “Yuuri. It’s time for lunch break! I’m here to escort you to the cafeteria!”

All people turn to Phichit with wide eyes, then they all excuse themselves, hurrying towards their forgotten business with mumbled goodbyes.

Yuuri lets his breath out and slumps on one of the chairs. He is really tired and exhausted after his lessons, so he is very grateful for some rest.

His friend smirks at him knowingly and pats him on the left shoulder amicably to comfort him, “You alright there, buddy?”

Yuuri groans exhausted, “Yes…But I didn’t know that all of you had to go through so much lessons, when joining the Shepherds.”

Phichit giggles, “No, we don’t. It’s probably just your position as second-in-command and the follow-up to last night…”

“Last night?”, Yuuri looks confused at him.

“You don’t remember?”, the Mercenary eyes him warily but friendly, a hint of mischief in his eyes.

The magic user sighs exasperated, “I don’t remember anything after my sixth or seventh glass, Phichit! I only know that I woke up with one hell of a headache and if it weren’t for Georgi, I would still be dying internally because of the pain”, Yuuri exclaims, hiding his face in his hands.

For an instance there is silence between them, then the man with the grey eyes smiles amused and says, “Then you shouldn’t worry about it too much. Nothing bad happened. Let’s just say that we all acknowledge you as our second-in-command and our dear enigmatic friend.”

The Mage nods in silent agreement and misses his friend trying to hide a very, very wide and knowing grin, as well as the glint of amusement and playfulness in his eyes.

* * *

In the cafeteria for the soldiers Phichit and Yuuri are joined by the other Shepherds talking about their day, schedules and plans for the afternoon.

Georgi hands out special schedules for the afternoon to a few individuals seated on their table and informs them that Yakov wants Yuuri and Chris to join Victor in his personal study, Chris as recently appointed third-in-command of the Shepherds immediately after lunch break and Yuuri at around 2 o’clock. He also tells Phichit to instruct his new best friend in the basics of sword techniques or include him in their military work-out until the appointed time to assess his physical abilities.

Yuuri just nods obediently and resigned, already exhausted by thinking about his upcoming training and office duties.

Sara and Mila giggle, watching him with amused smiles, but then ask him, if dinner at 6 o’clock would be fine. Yuuri checks his schedule again and shakes his head disappointed to have to refuse their invitation.

“It seems, I have meetings about our military resources, war strategy and safety measures for our citizens starting from 5 o’clock to 8 o’clock. And then I am scheduled to join Victor again to sort through the documents and reports. Maybe tomorrow?”

“Wow!”, Chris leans closer to have a look at Yuuri’s schedule and scans over Yuuri’s day plan, pointing at the afternoon office duties, the magic lessons, the meetings and the evening office duties, “He’s really eager to hold his promise and have you stay beside him. Never thought that he would be that serious about you. But trust Victor to surprise.”

“His promise?”, Yuuri asked confused. What promise?

He can’t remember making any promises with the prince to lead to this.

Phichit elbows Chris, who scowls and says, “Aw! What was that for?”

The Mercenary gives him a pointed look, then turns to the Mage and says cheerfully, “It seems that he really wants to train his second-in-command to perfection. Heads up, Yuuri! You can do this! I am cheering for you!”

Perplexed because of the awkward exchange between his friends, he just nods silently and screens his schedule again. His mouth twitches slightly.

“Tight schedule, huh…”, he turns to Georgi and smiles with burning devotion in his eyes, ready for the challenge, “You really weren’t kidding.”

* * *

The hour after lunch is spend according to plan. Yuuri joins the warm-up session of the knights of Ylisstol under Yakov’s orders and then groups up with the Shepherds to get some combat practice in.

His first opponent is Takeshi in order to test Yuuri’s limits and knowledge, while Phichit observes. Then next is Seung-gil and after that Phichit himself. He really is glad that he has a lot of stamina and endurance to last through the fights.

“You have great posture for a sword-fighter and your stamina is your greatest asset. No wonder, you can fight alongside Victor as well as you do…”, Phichit states after the fight, “Your balance of the sword is good too. You clearly had a good instructor to teach you swordsmanship. Your basics are fantastic and you have great instinct. But I can’t seem to pinpoint a certain type of style or school of swordsmanship in your fighting. Furthermore, the strength of your slashes is precise, however, they could be faster…Your strength is average, but we can work on that with some training…You are not too bad off, Yuuri!”, the Mercenary grinned widely. Then Phichit assigns him some exercises and the rest of the time is spend with self-training, before he has to go and freshen up for his office work. Yuuri quickly showers himself with cold water and changes into black trousers, a white button-down shirt with a v-neck and a dark blue overcoat. The young man pushes his blue-rimmed glasses up and looks in the mirror to straighten out his hair.

Clothes really seem to make the man. Then he hurries to the prince’s office to avoid being late and get scolded by Yakov.

The Mage doesn’t want to get any further on his bad side.

When he opens the big doors, he is met with a pouting Victor laying his head in depression over his loaded desk and a groaning Chris on the royal-blue sofa reading over piles of documents.

The Mage lets out a breath and two heads pop up to greet him with smiles.

The prince immediately rushes to him to throw his arms around the Mage’s shoulders and nuzzle his face gently into his neck for comfort.

“Yuuuriii!”, he sounds tired, but elated to see him.

Chris chuckles at the adorable sight, “There comes your knight in shining armor, cheri! I hope you are now more motivated to get your duties done.”

Victor pouts, “The same could be said to you. You are here with me for an hour and we still haven’t gotten over the first paper stack!”

The third-in-command smiles, “I think we will finish the pile today.”

The prince grimaces, but then smiles as well, “Chris, there are important documents, which have to be looked at, all over the room!”

Yuuri chuckles, they were so cute. Especially Victor still hanging from his shoulders as he bickered with the Archer about having to finish most of the paperwork this week. The Mage shakes his head. They had to start now, if they really wanted to finish the piles before the end of the week.

He scans over the room, then turns to the crown prince thoughtful.

“Victor, are these documents all sorted according to urgency?”

The heir to the throne of Ylisse frowns, “I don’t know. I just started on the pile near my desk…”

Yuuri facepalms, “Okay… Then I just have two other questions: First how long do we have time for the desk work today? Second, I don’t think, we can be quick enough with only three people…”, he looks directly into Victor’s ocean-blue eyes, “No with two people. You should continue with what you were doing to not waste that much time. Do you know, who probably has some free time to join us in arranging?”

The prince lets go of Yuuri to think about possible helpers, tangling his long silver hair in his fingers absentmindedly.

“I think Nikolai has time and Georgi…Maybe Mila as well…”

His second-in-command nods, “Then let a servant call for them, so we get this party started”, he claps his hands, “Chris, we start sorting through these two stacks, while waiting for Mila’s, Georgi’s and Nikolai’s arrival to help. We divide them according to department and urgency. The departments are the different ministries. When Mila, Georgi and Nikolai arrive they will relocate all other stacks to our side and take the sorted piles, categorizing them for each department in urgent, which means today, must be dealt with by the end of the week and can be dealt with later. All sorted by date and the urgent ones should be given to Victor immediately. We will use the space of the other three work desks to deposit the organized documents according to our new categories. The third desk is to be used for the newest additions, which are not sorted paperwork according to our system. And the table in front of the sofa will be the place to scan through the documents if there are faulty proposals, so that we can send them back to be corrected immediately before Victor gets them. Victor shouldn’t have to do double his workload when others are not throughout in doing their job.”

Chris salutes playfully, “Understood, Commander!”

Yuuri rolls his eyes and looks to a stoned silver-haired man.

“Victor is everything alright? Or do you need to take a break?”

The prince wakes up from his trance at that and hugs his saviour tightly.

“Yuuuri! How did I manage without you?”

The Mage chuckles, then steps back from the embrace, “You are clearly capable, when you want to, Your Highness”, he winks and Victor swoons internally. This man would be the death of him.

Then Yuuri says, face full of determination, “So let’s get this over with!”

The three men smile and move to execute their newfound plan.

Mila, Georgi and Nikolai arrive shortly and get instructed about their roles and how to perform them by Yuuri. They work like clockwork and at exact 15:30 they not only sorted through all the documents, organizing them according to their agreed system, but Victor also managed to finish all urgent business for the whole week. Mila, Georgi and Nikolai leave after full-filling their tasks to deal with their other business, like training or research. Yuuri thanks them for their help and they just smile happily in response, stating that it was their pleasure. While the amnesiac is occupied with Nikolai asking, if he would be interested in a joint study and experimentation session about the theories of magic, Chris leans in closely to whisper into Victors ear, “Cheri, about our last conversation and him being good for you… I personally think, that letting someone like him go, would be the gravest mistake in the entirety of your whole life.”

The prince nods, “I often ask myself, what I did to deserve him in my life. It must be a blessing from the heaven’s above, from Naga herself.”

Chris whistles approvingly, “Whoever is to be his spouse in the future, gets really lucky. Better pull ahead, cheri, before there is too much competition to get him anymore.”

Victor whines and the former Duke of Rosanne pads him gently on the shoulder to console him. After hearing the pained whining, Yuuri turns to them to continue their work and inquire about the prince’s health, “Is everything alright, Victor? Does your head hurt?”

He walks over and gently caresses his Captain’s face extremely worried. Victor leans into his touch, enjoying the warmth and closeness, both of them lost in their own bubble with Chris observing amused from the side-lines. The Archer then clears his throat after some time and startles them both. Yuuri immediately takes his hand away, his face turning extremely red and thoughts going crazy about the inappropriateness of his actions, not noticing the forming pout of dissatisfaction on the crown prince’s face. The third-in-command points purposefully to the clock to deflect from the incident. The clock shows 15:45. When the Ylissean Noble and the Mage just look at him in confusion, he sighs and responds, “Didn’t you want to coach our dear Yuuri in magic, when you finished the most urgent documents, cheri? Or have your plans changed on short notice?”

Yuuri shoots his gaze at Victor, “Coach me?”

The prince smiles brightly in response, excitement reflected in his eyes.

“Thank you for the reminder, Chris! And yes Yuuri!”, he makes an inviting gesture with his hand, “Starting today, I am going to be your new magic coach!” Yuuri’s mouth opens not sure what to say, so he just gapes.

Chris chuckles amicably. And Victor looks at the clock.

“The meetings start at 17:00 and I think we want to eat something before them as well and I have to introduce you to the only lady in my life, my dear Makkachin”, he grins widely, “So let’s get going!”

The Ylissean Noble then stands up, takes the Mage by the hand and starts walking out of his office, leaving behind a cheekily grinning Chris.

Victor leads him first of all to a library full of magic books, he goes straight up to a servant and asks to get him a certain box. After picking up the mystery box, the noble gestures to Yuuri to follow him, guiding him to the beautiful west garden of the grand palace.

“At this hour of the day Makka will be at this garden with her nanny to play around. So, it’s the best time for a quick introduction!”, the heir to the throne of Ylisse cheekily winks at him. They turn around one corner and Yuuri coos on the sight. In the distance a brown standard poodle is hopping around, fetching a toy for his nanny, while giving cute quips of excitement. Victor smiles, puts down the box with the tomes and whistles loudly in the direction of his beautiful dog. Makkachin perks her ears and instantly runs towards them full speed, her tail waving happily.

But instead of greeting her owner, she tackles Yuuri to the ground, licking all over his face in joy and approval. The magic user giggles completely ensnared by the charms of the poodle, while Victor pouts at his baby, but his eyes are gleaming with joy and fondness, “Oh Makka! How could you replace me so easily! I’m dreadfully hurt!” Then Makkachin stops licking Yuuri, lolling her tongue adorably for a moment and goes for the silver-haired man next. Her doggy kisses are relentless.

“Hahaha… I forgive you, my dearest, because you are the best poodle in the world!”, Victor laughs with a full grin.

“She really is!”, Yuuri agrees smiling at the cute display in front of him.

The Ylissean Noble’s smile turns fond, “Yeah… She is also a great judge of character. So with Lady Makkachin’s approval, you have now earned officially and without a doubt my full trust. Even though, you already had it before”, he winks at the amnesiac. And Yuuri turns slightly pink.

After some belly rubs and a little bit of playtime, Victor states that they have to start moving again to uphold their tight schedule. So after their heartfelt goodbye’s the cerulean-eyed noble takes the young man to one of the hidden back gardens near the outer wall.

“I trained here often, when I was young”, the prince has a nostalgic expression on his face, “Nowadays, I don’t have that much free-time, but sometimes I still use this place to relief some stress or frustration.”

“It’s beautiful here!”, Yuuri lets his gaze wonder around, “The maple grove is really breath-taking and the plants by the wall are so full of vitality and beauty. I like the atmosphere, it’s grounding.”

Victor smiles at him, then his face turns into a cheeky grin.

“Well, we should start with your magic education, then! We only have so much time on our hands”, he excitedly jumps to open the box.

It was filled with different kinds of magical tomes. Yuuri is stunned.

“I know that you can use Ice and Thunder tomes…”, Victor starts, pulling out a Fire tome, “As you may know, a Mage normally has only one type of wizardry. The only typical magic users known to have two types are Valkyries or Sages…”, Victor goes quiet, thinking.

Yuuri is speechless, “You mean, I may be an advanced class?”

The prince turns to him, “Yes and no. Valkyries and Sages can perform two elements, however, they are always light and another Anima power, which they specialize in… Not two types of Anima magic…”

“Anima magic?”, the younger man asks confused.

“Oh, I’m sorry, Yuuri! There are three general categories concerning enchantments: Anima, light and dark magic. There is also Ancient magic based on them and Void magic, but only historians or magical researchers know about them because well… they are rare, complicated and not explainable. Whatever, concerning Anima sorcery, it is divided in Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, Thunder and Ice. Normally spell users can only perform one of these categories. Especially concerning Anima magic, they only can awaken to one element. However, some advanced classes can use one type of Anima magic and light incantations.”

“Wow!”, Yuuri is starstruck at the variety of magic.

Victor smiles at him expectantly, “So I have been wondering…Maybe you can use more than just one kind of Anima element”, he tosses the Fire tome to his second-in-command with Yuuri just barely catching the book.

The younger man doesn’t say a word. He feels insecure and doubtful.

The Ylissean Noble chuckles, “Try it.”

Yuuri nods then, closes his eyes and tries to resonate with the Fire tome.

He starts chanting a spell for a flame on his hand. When he finishes, the amnesiac can feel a small warmth gathering in his palm.

He hears an excited cry and opens his eyes to see a small flame burning in his right hand.

“Wow, Yuuri! You can use Fire magic too!”, Victor dances like a little kid around him, then tries to calm himself again, “Next one!”

Yuuri extinguishes the flame and catches the next book on Water magic being thrown his way. He does the same procedure from before and as he is finished with the magic incantation, a water bubble gathers before his outstretched hand. Victor squeals excited and jumps high.

“Next one!”, the heir to the throne of Ylisse shoves a Wind tome into his hands, eyes glittering with anticipation.

Yuuri giggles at the eagerness of his Captain, then tries to align himself with the magic book. He chants a quick spell, he had heard from Nikolai before and immediately feels the pull of Wind gathering around him.

This time Victor is only gazing at him in awe, his smile turning heart-shaped and after Yuuri dispels the Wind, the Commander hands him an earth tome with wide sparkling eyes, “The last element of the Anima wizardry.”

Yuuri nods and starts the procedure to harmonize with the Earth tome, afterwards starts his chants and builds a small earth wall in front of him. Before the wizard can let the discoveries of the last minutes sink in, he feels arms around him, pulling him into a tight embrace.

“You are amazing, Yuuri!”, Victor kisses the crown of his head and then jumps with him in his arms, full of joy, warmth and excitement.

Yuuri is dumbstruck but leans into the touch. Normally he would have been embarrassed that a prince just kissed his head so shamelessly in broad daylight, but right this instant he is just too shocked and in poor disbelief of his own magical abilities for his body to react to the gesture.

After some time of cuddling, Victor lets go of him and Yuuri whines pouting, missing the warmth and cosiness around him, only to be presented with a dark glowing tome.

“I think, I have an idea, what class you truly are, dorogoi moy. But I have to be entirely sure”, the prince says, before Yuuri tries to synchronize with the magic book. The amnesiac starts trying to connect with the tome, but feels that he is going to fail. After three minutes of testing and trying, he shakes his head seemingly disappointed about the failure. Victor, however, lets out a happy whistle, takes the dark tome from his hands and places a staff for healing there instead. His Royal Highness makes an encouraging gesture to him and Yuuri tries again, but fails as well to invoke any magic.

He wants to slump down berating himself for his incapability, but a loud clap from the prince’s hands refocuses his attention.

When the second-in-command looks the heir of the Halidom of Ylisse in the eyes, he only finds pure joy, interest and affection in them, a grand heart-shaped smile forming around his lips to the person in front of him.

“Yuuuuri!”, Victor exclaims excited in a celebratory way, “Congratulations! You are a Tactician!”, then he jumps into Yuuri’s arms, pressing him tight against his chest and cuddling him with affection.

The Tactician is startled, then relaxes into the embrace by sliding his arms around the older man, only to turn completely red, when he is reminded of whom he is cuddling with again by his clearing thoughts. But Victor doesn’t let go, he only presses the younger man tighter against himself and kisses the crown of Yuuri’s hair again, elation reaching its peak, “I knew you were special the moment I first saw you!”

His magic mentor nuzzles his face against the cheek of his second-in-command, letting Yuuri’s heart thumb harder against his ribcage.

The Tactician knows that the Ylissean Prince is quite the touchy person when it comes to friends and people he likes. But he still sometimes wonders, if Victor was that cuddly with all the others beside him.

He likes to think that he held a special place in his friend’s heart and that the prince meant more by his touches. Who is he kidding?

Yuuri knows that he is totally crushing heavily on Victor since their first fateful encounter in the fields. But a fantasy is still a fantasy and not reality. And he would rather die, than tell the Captain of the Shepherds about his daily growing feelings. He doesn’t want to complicate things between them by making their conversations awkward.

Moreover, he is a commoner with amnesia, a status far below an actual prince. And then again Victor deserves so much better than someone who doesn’t remember his past. Victor deserves the world.

And the magic user knows that it isn’t in his abilities to give him that.

So Yuuri gathers all his courage to push his want to stay forever cared for and protected in the arms of the silver-haired beauty aside, and puts some distance between them before he asks, “A Tactician?”

For a very short moment, Yuuri thinks that he sees a glimmer of sadness in Victor’s eyes, when the magic user lets go of him, then the gaze turns gentle, “It’s a very rare class. It’s on par with Ancient magic. In the books in our library it is mentioned that it exists, but it is very uncommon. They state that Tacticians have the ability to wield a sword and use all types of Anima magic to a certain degree. However, they are not able to use staffs and dark magic. In addition, they are very intelligent and have a great affinity to tactical prowess. When educated right, they can become a true powerhouse for an army. And a Grandmaster, the advanced class of a Tactician, can learn the special skill Ignis, also called Magnificent Flame, which boosts your stats and breaks your mana limit for a short amount of time. You will be able to use stronger magic like A or B level tomes instead of just C, D and E level ones. It’s an amazing class.”

“And you think…”, Yuuri tries to find his words.

“I don’t think, Yuuri! I know! You just delivered the last puzzle part! You can use swords, Anima tomes and are great at strategy. You ARE a Tactician without a doubt”, Victor cubs his cheek, caressing him with his thumb, “You are a very special existence, solnyshko! And don’t say, you don’t deserve that praise! Even without your rare class, you’ve already proven your worth in the past battles, you have proven your significance in or cause. You truly are amazing.”

They stare at each other, not wanting to move away, but unsure about getting closer. Breath against breath. Yuuri’s gaze lands on Victor’s lips, then straying back to his eyes. The prince also seems unsure of what to do, searching the brown-eyed beauty for an answer.

However, before they can come to a decision about their awkward but intimate state, they are interrupted by the call of a servant.

“Your Highness! Where are you? The meeting starts in five minutes!”

Yuuri and Victor break apart, blushing slightly while making themselves presentable before the intruder, Victor naturally meant envoy by that, arrived. It is one of the Royal Scribes, who always protocols the meetings, her name is Lady Satsuki Muramoto. The prince doesn’t like her much, as she is a pure traditionalist and always in favour of the Royal Court and the obnoxious royals in debates. Moreover, she does seem to have something against Yuuri, which makes him dislike her even more.

When she reaches them, she is nearly out of breath.

“Your Highness! I’ve finally found you! Exalt Arina wanted me to give you this letter, before we start the meetings!”, the dark-haired woman with grey eyes hands him a sealed letter.

“Thank you Lady Muramoto. Inform the Exalt, I will be at the conference shortly”, the prince formally dismisses her.

“As you wish, Your Highness”, she bows and gives Yuuri a pointed stare before turning on her heels and walking back the way she came from. Victor scans through the contents quickly and frowns.

“Yuuri, go inform Chris that the Shepherds should prepare to head out tomorrow morning. He should be at my office. If not send a messenger to search for him in your place. After that come to the meeting room in the north quarter. I will let someone wait outside for you and will explain to the Exalt that you will arrive a little late. But this takes priority. They have to properly prepare for this personal mission.”

“If I may Victor, what is the letter about?”, Yuuri makes himself ready to leave in haste to fulfil his duties.

“Some villages are unsafe because of the increase in brigands lately. And grandmother wants us to deal with it before the week ends. That means our participation in the meetings for the next four days are cancelled. And we will set out as early as possible tomorrow morning”, the heir to the throne of Ylisse patiently explains.

Yuuri nods and starts jogging into the direction of the prince’s office, yelling to Victor over his shoulder, “See you at the meeting then!”

* * *

Lucky for Yuuri, Chris is still in Victor’s office going through new stack additions and sorting them like they did hours before.

The Archer smiles gleefully, when Yuuri enters, “Yuuri? What are you doing here? I thought, you had some important meetings to attend with Victor? Did something happen?”

Yuuri answers delighted to fulfil his task himself, “I have, but we received an urgent letter from Her Highness the Exalt herself. We are tasked to prepare to head out by tomorrow morning to safe villages from roaming brigands. We have four days to deal with them in total before we have to return to the palace for further meetings and preparations. They have adjourned the other briefings for Victor to Saturday and Sunday.”

Chris nods, “I will inform the Shepherds immediately and tell Georgi to check through our stock in your place.”

Yuuri smiles at his friend, “Thank you for your thoughtfulness. You are incredible. I didn’t even have to ask, if you could do it! I still wonder why you are not Victor’s second-in-command or Georgi. I think you are more suited for the position than anybody else.”

“You are welcome, Yuuri! And I am quite honoured to hear you speak so highly of me as to propose that I should be ranking second in our group. However, I like that I don’t have to think about giving orders, executing them or thinking about all those stuffy meetings, I would have to attend. Mediating in the middle is more my style. And I wouldn’t be that good as a strategist as you to begin with. So, third-in-command does it for me perfectly”, he winks at the magic user, “Georgi on the other hand is the second-in-command for Yakov. That’s why he has all these organizing tasks around the castle. He is perfectly cut out for his work. I don’t think, he would like to be the right hand to Victor though. He often praises you and asks how you can put up with our little princeling for all those hours. Seems like two drama queens are not compatible at all.”

Yuuri shakes his head chuckling, “I think you are selling yourself short, Giacometti. And Georgi is too generous with his praise. But I won’t pry any longer. I have a meeting to attend, can’t keep our little princeling waiting for too long”, he winks at the third-in-command.

Chris snorts and murmurs, “You don’t have any idea, how he is suffering without you this instant”, then says loudly, “See you later, Yuuri!”

The magic user waves his hands grinning, but when he turns around to leave, he halts again and says trying to not get too embarrassed, “By the way, Victor says my class isn’t that of a Mage…”

He feels the Archer’s eyes on him curious about the new development.

The amnesiac gulps, “I seem to be a Tactician…”

There is silence between them.

Yuuri looks at a dumbstruck Chris and smiles at his dazed state.

“See you later, dear third-in-command! Hold the fort down until we come back to assist you. Bye.” Then he is out of the door, running down the halls as dignified as he can, leaving a speechless Duke of Rosanne behind in the office. He never would have thought, how shocking a class status revelation can be to other people. Colour him surprised.

* * *

Yuuri is greatly embarrassed as he feels all eyes on him, when he enters the meeting late, guided by an attendant. He tries to ignore the stares, bows gracefully before the Exalt, tries to ignore Lilia’s scrutinizing and hard stare, sizing him up and evaluating his bow and places himself next to a soft smiling crown prince. The meeting continues then without much of a hitch. Nobody questions his presence or when they do, they don’t bring it up. They all focus on the task at hand. When Yuuri speaks up to add information or propose ideas, Yakov and Lilia eye him critically, then turn their heads, when they notice that they are doing the same.

However, they nod approvingly, when the Tactician raises important issues at the table. Clearly impressed with his speeches and countenance.

Somehow, he got the feeling that they both had a history of their own.

At the end of the last meeting, Yuuri is exhausted, drained and tired.

He has found new admiration for Victor’s patience and his never faltering charming smile. He sighs deeply. The day was too long for good.

He just wants to curl up in a ball in his appointed room and sleep like the dead for the rest of the week. Or better for all eternity.

Victor pads him encouragingly on the left shoulder.

“You did very well, Yuuri! You had a long, tiring day and you still hold up so bravely! Your opinions really helped us out”, the prince smiles genuinely at him and warmth blooms in the magic user’s belly.

‘Oh shut it stupid crush!’

“Thank you, Victor! But the amazing one is you! I never think, I could have that much patience and endurance to stay as charming as you are, while dealing with your tiresome duties all day long.”

Victor blushes at that and turns his eyes away from him, then Yuuri’s stomach growls. And he holds his hand against his belly embarrassed.

The prince laughs and points into the direction of the Exalt and Yakov.

“I have something private to discuss with them, so you can go ahead to my office. I am sure Chris prepped something for us for dinner. I will join you soon. So, go ahead and rest! You deserve it!”

The Tactician silently nods and leaves the meeting room to head over to the office, his hungry stomach driving him.

* * *

Victor stares after Yuuri as he left the room. He really doesn’t want him too long gone from his side. The heir to the throne loves spending time with him, being just himself, just Victor. That’s why he doesn’t really want to have this discussion with Yakov, Lilia and his granny.

But he has to. It is a safety measure for all of them to know the background of their allies.

Victor turns to the Exalt and her two advisors with a neutral expression.

Let’s get it over with, he thinks and joins them.

Yakov clears his throat, rustling the documents in his hand, “To start with, this discussion is about the new recruited Mage Yuuri and the Myrmidon Seung-gil Lee. First, we start with Lee. As stated from the research report on his origins: He is a Myrmidon from Ferox, was the champion of Khan Min-so. He is a gifted swordsman, but stoic and silent, seems not really to be the social type and has a fear of women according to other members of the Shepherds. He idolizes Min-so and Celestino for their skills. Min-so also stated that she wants to make him her heir in the future. She describes him as loyal, skilled and trustworthy. Other than that, we don’t know much about his past. However, it is indeed a relief that one of our allies can testify that he poses no danger to us.”

Arina nods, “Thank you. Please continue.”

Victor takes in a sharp breath, nodding as confident as he can.

Yakov takes another package of documents into his hands, coughs lightly and starts, “Concerning the Mage Yuuri…”

“Tactician. He is a Tactician”, Victor interrupts him calmly.

Yakov’s and his grandmother’s gaze draw to him, “A TACTICIAN?!?”

Lilia’s eyes glimmer with excitement and her lips curl up into a small secretive smile.

The prince chuckles at their reaction, ‘My Yuuri is indeed very special.’

He smiles as he stumbles over his thoughts about Yuuri being his and turns embarrassed for an instant, before he can collect himself again.

“Yes. Yuuri isn’t a Mage but a Tactician. As the reports will state, he knows how to wield a sword and is able to use Ice and Thunder magic. At first, I thought, he may be an irregularity as a Mage, but after some research in the library, I found out about the rare class Tactician. A class that can wield swords and use all kinds of Anima magic. They can’t use light or dark sorcery. Furthermore, they have a prowess for strategy. So, I tested my theory this afternoon and it turns out, that my hunch was right. Yuuri can use Ice, Thunder, Fire, Water, Wind and Earth magic, while being a capable sword fighter. However, he can’t invoke Light enchantments or Dark spells. In addition, he has a great strategic mind as we all got to see in the last battle and his tutor in military tactics has proven that he must have had some past education aside from his talent”, Victor ends his report, straightening his back in a very proud manner.

His grandmother stares at him for a long second, interested in his proud demeanour, before turning to Yakov, “Please continue with your report.”

Yakov wakes up from his curious stare at Victor as well and says, “Yes, Your Highness! The young man claims to have amnesia. When we found him, he only remembered Vitya’s name, before remembering his own. His clothes seem Plegian, but he doesn’t have an accent and speaks Ylissean fluently. So, we wonder if his family came over, when the war was wagging between Ylisse and Plegia. He is a very good combatant and strategist, as His Highness already pointed out. Moreover, he is helpful, loyal, friendly, shy and organized…and the Shepherds like him”, Yakov pauses his detailed report.

Lilia puts her forefinger to her lips, deep in thought, “Do you have anything to add as a personal opinion, dear Yakov?”

Yakov sighs, “Your Highness, Advisor Lilia, we still haven’t found anything that can enlighten his background story, which means, there is still the possibility of him being a threat to Ylisse and the crown.”

“Yakov!”, Victor exclaims angrily and stomps on the ground.

Lilia raises an eyebrow at the prince and the Exalt chuckles amused.

They weren’t used to Victor being so emotional and unguarded when expressing his feelings. Especially concerning another person. The prince always wears a mask to hide his inner thoughts in public, so this open behaviour is mostly unseen.

‘Interesting’, they think both, but decide to stay silent.

“Calm yourself, Vitya!”, the Great Knight gives his protégé a pointed stare. Victor crosses his arms and Yakov sighs deeply, then continues:

“However, during my observations I have concluded that Yuuri has a very positive effect on Victors behaviour as royalty. He works more diligently, is most of the time in a better mood, he gets less injured in fights and shows more emotion than before meeting him”, at this statement, the prince blushes and looks away, “But that influence does not only reach His Highness the Crown Prince, but also all of the Shepherds”, the Great Knight turns to his student, seeking eye-contact and smiles gently, “Yuuri is a very talented individual and the Shepherds need him. To put it in a nutshell, I want to put the investigations on a hold until any kind of suspicion is raised. Until then, there is no point in doubting him.”

Victor’s eyes grow like saucers, ‘Have I heard correctly? Yuuri is cleared?’ His lips start twitching, forming a wide, heart-shaped smile.

The prince runs to Yakov and hugs him warmly, “Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. You don’t know how much that means to me.”

His advisor chuckles and pads him on the back, “I will still be cautious, but he is a kind-hearted spirit and a good addition to the Shepherds and … it’s an elation to see you this happy again, my boy.”

Victor sobs quietly into his mentor’s shoulder, but nods.

He hasn’t been that emotional since the death of his uncle and aunt.

When the two part, they are both very embarrassed and turn shy.

His grandmother chuckles at their open display of affection.

It’s been too long in her opinion.

Lilia just snorts amused, “If I would have known that you can be this sweet, I wouldn’t have divorced you.”

Yakov grimaces at that and Victor starts laughing.

* * *

After returning to the prince’s office Yuuri slumps down on the sofa.

He closes his eyes and lets out a tired sigh. Mila’s words about meetings being hell haunt him, but now he can’t run away anymore.

Chris chuckles at the sight in front of him.

“Tired?”, the Archer grins knowingly.

“Exhausted but still able to work after a good dinner…”, Yuuri answers.

“Then I have the best remedy for you right now!”, Chris points to rolling tables with silverware and food plates, “I thought you both will be starving after the torture called ‘meetings’, so I asked the kitchen staff to prepare your dinner and serve it in the office.”

“Our hero and saviour!”, the Tactician exclaims cheerfully, pushing himself into a seating position.

“Every time, mon cher!”, Chris winks seductively at him and Yuuri rolls his eyes laughing at his friend’s antics.

He begins then to eye the food, but hesitates.

‘Should I start or wait for Victor to come over?’

He feels his comrade’s gaze on him and then a chuckle.

“It’s up to you, if you want to start, but I guess our favourite royal prince would appreciate you waiting for him.”

Yuuri nods and decides to wait, ignoring his arguing stomach.

“How was the meeting?”, his friend asks to pass the time.

“Mentally taxing, but it went well. We have a lot more issues to consider about the war preparations and the safety of the citizens. Right up until now we were mostly gathering the main points, which have to be properly addressed in future meetings. How are things on your end?”, Yuuri stretches himself to give his aching muscles some action.

Chris puts on a gentle smile, “Quite good. I sorted out the new reports, informed the Shepherds to prepare for tomorrow, sent Georgi to check over our inventory, by the way the reports are on Victor’s table neatly beside the urgent matters. We reequipped everything that was a necessity. You can look over them later, but they should be fine. Then I made further arrangements for the upcoming Ylissean Rose Festival…”

Yuuri’s eyes grow wide, “Rose Festival? When is it?”

“It’s in five days. So, we will all be back. We also have the day off or have to rotate shifts if not. But it is a yearly must when you are in Ylisse and near the capitol. I am on the committee and so I had to rearrange certain things to have them covered during my absence. It’s a beautiful tradition for all kinds of relationships. There are many stands and vendors that sell stuff from jewellery to food and of course, roses. During the day you present your loved ones, such as family or friends a particular kind of rose to relay a certain message. Depending on what you want to say, you have to choose a different coloured rose. The vendors help the people, who don’t know the language of flowers to find the right rose. And then, when it gets dark the fireworks start to end the festivities”, the third-in-command explains dreamily.

“Sounds like a great festival!”, Yuuri smiles.

“But that isn’t even the best thing about it, Yuuri! The festival is famous for its legends!”, the Archer squeals enthusiastically.

“Legends?”, the Tactician gets curious.

Chris forms a heart shape with his hands, “There are different types of legends. But the most famous one is that when you give your lover a red or orange rose at sundown, you two will be together forever! Or that your crush will respond to your feelings, when you present them a blue rose after the fireworks. Pretty romantic, don’t you think so?”

The second-in-command laughs heartily, “Yes, it is. But sadly, legends are just that legends. Still it sounds nice.”

Chris furrows his eyebrows unbelieving, “Where is your sense for romance, Yuuri? You’re too young to not swoon at that!”

The brown-eyed man grins coyly, “Well…I am more of a realist”, he says and thinks, ‘With an immense crush on someone I can never have.’

“I don’t believe that one second, my dear Yuuri!”, his brother-in-arms exclaims brightly and full of confidence.

And the Tactician starts laughing very hard, wanting to respond, but then his focus shifts, when Victor enters the room, interestingly elated.

“Did you have a good chat with the Exalt and her advisors?”

Victor hums happily and hugs the Tactician gently, his good mood increasing at the asked question, “I did. But now, I’m really starving. I think, I could eat a whole feast by myself!”, he eyes the food Chris had prepared for them, “With what should I start? What did you eat, Yuuri?”

Chris chuckles, “He didn’t eat anything. He waited for you, cheri.”

Victor beamed at that, hugging Yuuri tighter, his heart-shaped smile forming on his face, “It wasn’t necessary to wait for me, but still thank you a lot for your consideration. It’s always lonely to eat alone.”

The magic user thanks the third-in-command with a silent “Thank you” formed with his mouth and Chris winks at him smiling.

Before the Archer leaves the two alone to deal with further preparations for the upcoming Ylissean Rose Festival, he turns to Yuuri, “Ah before I forget. You should ask someone to be your guide at the Ylissean Rose Festival as you are not familiar with the concept. And first-timers should be guided by someone capable and knowledgeable. I would like to propose myself, but I will be preoccupied with the festival’s coordination on this day, so I have to decline. I’m very sorry, Yuuri!”, with that he exits the room with a grin.

Victor immediately looks to the amnesiac, “I can be your festival guide, Yuuri! There are a lot of different attractions to see! Mages perform small magic shows and there are all kinds of food stalls! You definitely have to taste the Pirozhkis! They are divine! And then we have to visit the main plaza and the grand Boulevard. There is sooo much to see on that day! But don’t worry, we’ll manage!”

Yuuri blinks a few times at the prince before he speaks, “Is it really okay, Victor? Don’t you have more pressing engagements on that day? And what about the meetings? Don’t misunderstand, I would love to spend the day with you, but we have to take your position in to account. And well… Chris told me that it is also a festival for lovers… So, yeah… I don’t want to interrupt and disturb your prior plans…I–”

“Yuuuri!”, the Ylissean Noble interrupts him, shaking his head with a large grin, “Nothing is more important to me than spending more quality time with you! And well, there are the adjourned meetings, but they are mostly scheduled forenoon and I can always slip away”, he winks at the Tactician, who scowls.

“Okay fine, you can stop scowling. In truth all the minsters also want to enjoy the festivities, so we will end the briefings early. Besides the prince-business I don’t have any other plans, so please spend the day with me, Yuuri!”, the silver-haired man gazes at him with puppy dog eyes.

The magic user hesitates for one moment, but then he smiles at his friend warmly and bows, “Then I will be in your care. Thank you, Victor.”

The Ylissean Noble shows him his heart-shaped smile in return, “The pleasure is on my side, my dear Yuuri!”

They gaze mesmerized at each other until both their stomachs growl and the two men start laughing loudly. Victor is the first to recover from their laughing fit, “I think we should start eating, before my stomach eats itself. And then we should try to cover as much work as possible and delegate the other documents.”

Yuuri nods in approval before stuffing his face with some sandwiches.

The leader of the Shepherds chuckles at the amnesiac’s full cheeks, which earns him a glare from his friend, before he also grabs for the prepared food.

They munch in silence, gazing at each other with laughter in their eyes, drawing faces for amusement and using cheap tactics to get certain treats. When they finish the plates, Yuuri gathers them together and puts the rolling tables outside the office for the maids to take to the kitchens for cleaning. Then the Tactician starts rearranging the documents, while Victor reads through the new stack of papers on his work desk. When Yuuri is done with his organization task, he reads through the inventory and expense report of the Shepherds and scowls.

The second-in-command stands up from his reading place, “I’m sorry to interrupt you, Victor. But look at the Shepherd’s expense sheet”, the amnesiac hands the prince the documents and points to two sections on the expenditure list, “Why do we have to pay for lodgings at the knight’s barracks when we have and use our rooms at the garrison? Is there a reason, I am not aware of? Or is it tradition? I personally think that one room is enough for each person, especially with all the space at the Shepherd’s hideout. What do you think?”, he turns to his liege with a furrowed brow.

The heir to the throne of Ylisse however just stares at him with an awed expression, his mouth gaping wide open.

The magic user waits for a minute before he starts waving his hand before the face of the prince, thinking that maybe he fell asleep with open eyes.

Victor then snorts and starts laughing, which makes Yuuri even more confused and anxious about his commander’s well-being.

“A-Are you a-alright, Victor? Should I-I call the Royal Medic? Can I do anything to help? Please, you have to tell me!”, Yuuri stammers out.

But the Ylissean Noble just waves him off, “Everything is fine, Yuuri. Don’t worry. It just never occurred to me until now that we don’t use the rooms in the barracks anymore, since we moved the Shepherd’s lodgings to the casern. Georgi must have not noticed either, because he does also the inventory for the Royal Knights. I was just laughing, because it should have been obvious to anyone, but nobody said anything until now. So, thanks a lot Yuuri. We may have more funding now with one expenditure less, but before that we have to bring the issue to the Ministry of Finance…”, Victor grits his teeth, but the Tactician doesn’t notice, tangled in his own thoughts of how to present the case.

Yuuri hums, then takes the documents from the prince and says, “Okay. I will be going to the Ministry immediately, so we can tick that off our list. Be right back.”

And with that he hurries to the exit and closes the door to the office, before Victor can tell him about the location of the specific Ministry and their complicated relationship with the Minister of Finance.

The royal sighs deeply, suppressing his starting headache.

‘Hopefully everything will turn out just fine.’

* * *

Yuuri marches through the long but quiet corridors of the palace.

The Tactician has totally forgotten to ask Victor, where the Finance Ministry is situated in the palace. He sighs looking for someone to ask for directions, but the halls are empty and quiet, and nobody is in his sight.

‘Well done, Yuuri! Storming off like you know, where to go and then not even being able to find someone to help you out! Just totally terrific!’

The magic user grumbles under his breath, when someone calls out to him, “Ah! There you are!”

The second-in-command of the Shepherds turns around and comes face to face with a stunning man in a violet robe with shoulder-length dark hair and purple eyes. Yuuri recognizes him immediately from the meetings. His encounter is the Minister of Magic Lord Cartesia Laphydelle of Ryona.

The Shepherd greets the Minister with a polite bow, “Your Excellency. It is an honour to meet you again. What can I do for you?”

“Be at ease”, Lord Laphydelle responds for Yuuri to stop, “I just wanted to speak personally with you.”

The amnesiac furrows his brow, ‘A minister wants to talk to me in private? Hopefully, I didn’t do anything bad in the last meeting…’

“So, as I am not a fan of formality like Vitya, you can just call me Cartesia or Sia”, the Sage winks at him.

‘Wait, did he just say ‘Vitya’?’

“Are you friends with Victor, eh I mean His Highness, Your Exc… Em I mean Cartesia?”, the bespectacled man asks curiously.

The Minister of Magic grins like a Cheshire cat, “We are childhood friends. I am the first-born son of Baron Laphydelle of Ryona, so we got acquainted, when we were very young. We boys always did a lot of mischief, especially with Chris around. Our teenage years were wild. That were the fun times, now it’s just duty this, duty that. Responsibility is just such a hassle”, the minister pouts annoyed and Yuuri laughs.

“It may be a hassle, but it has to be done. And when we see the result, it’s worth it”, the amnesiac smiles at his conversation partner.

Lord Laphydelle contemplates his statement and then grins widely, “You are right”, then he turns smug, “So, Yuuri dear? What do you think about magic? Care to share?”

The Tactician is startled by the sudden change in topic, but starts thinking about his answer, “Well, … I think it enigmatic?”

“Enigmatic?”, Victor’s childhood friend asks interested, “I have to say that is an interesting choice of words…”

Yuuri shrugs, “Well, there are so many types of magic and we still discover more every day, so it is a seemingly endless mystery, the secrets of the art only waiting to be discovered by scholars.”

Cartesia hums, “I see where you are coming from.”

The Tactician focuses on the Minister of Magic, “How can I be of help to you, Cartesia?”

The Baron turns smug, “What do you mean?”

And Yuuri rolls his eyes, chuckling lightly. This one is clearly a friend of Victor and Chris. The minister seems playful and nice, but he can totally be a pain in the ass, when he wants to be.

“Well, you definitely searched for me specifically and you said that you wanted to talk to me privately, so I guess, there has to be a reason for that. And as I don’t think of you as a whimsical person, who skips his duties for nothing in particular or wants to hinder me in fulfilling my duties, so I doubt that you just wanted to say ‘hello’ after going to such effort. Moreover, I don’t think that it was your goal to just ask me, what I think about magic either. So, what can I do for you?”

The Sage claps his hands together in glee, “My aren’t you a straight shooter, my dear! No wonder Victor is done in by your charms!”

The amnesiac raises an eyebrow in confusion and the Baron laughs heartily, waving his hand dismissively in front of him, “You are right. I’m not the type of person to do something on a whim without further thought behind. And I _reeeaally_ wanted to meet you privately, Yuuri! Vitya always gathers the most extraordinary people around himself.”

‘This guy just gets more and more confusing…’

“Okay. So now that you have met me, what do you want?”, Yuuri’s mind is spiralling in a circle. He doesn’t know, what the minister is up to or what he wants from him in the first place.

“Well, to tell the truth…”, Cartesia puts a finger over his lips, humming thoughtfully, “… I think nothing in particular.”

‘Say what now?!?’

The Tactician is speechless. A minister, who is always busy, has gone the long way of looking for an unimportant person to just meet him, introduce himself on an informal basis and ask him about his opinion on magic? There is definitely something very wrong with that concept.

Yuuri doesn’t believe him one bit. That person is scheming something, he knows it, but he doesn’t know his reason and intention.

“Your face tells me, you don’t believe me at all”, the Sage grins shark-like and dangerous, he leans closer to the magic user, crowding his space deliberately, “Say Yuuri, what do you think about Vitya?”

The amnesiac studies his conversation partner critically, trying to gauge, where this is going, but coming out blank, he sighs, “He is my friend.”

The noble hums, “Your friend, you say?”

Yuuri gulps, “Should there be anything else for me to say?”

They stare at each other heatedly for one second, before Cartesia grins again and shrugs, “I don’t know. I just wanted to ask. Seemed like a good question at the time. Never thought, things would get so serious between us, dear Yuuri”, he winks saucily at the Tactician and steps away, “Well I should be returning to my office. It was nice meeting you, Yuuri!”

The Minister of Magic waves at him and starts walking down the hall, then he stops and comes back again, “Before I forget. Here!”, the Sage hands the brown-eyed man a map, “It’s a map of the castle. If you want to go to the Ministry of Finance there is a shortcut over there and whenever you want to visit my office to have a nice chat, it’s located there!”, he excitedly points on the map and winks at Yuuri invitingly, “You are always welcome!” Then wiggles his fingers at a stunned Tactician and vanishes with a “See you around, Yuuri!”

Yuuri stares perplexed at the empty hall.

‘What the fuck was that?’

Only minutes later his brain catches up and he is left wondering how Cartesia knew, where he wants to go.

* * *

Victor lets out a heavy groan as he slumps onto his desk. There was still so much work to look over, but at least, he had something to look forward to at the end of the week.

He has so much to show Yuuri on the day of the festival.

A knock startles him out of his thoughts.

Could Yuuri be already back?

But then he wouldn’t knock. So it must be someone else.

“Enter”, he simply says.

The door opens and Cartesia enters with a smug grin, “Hey there, Vitya!”

The Ylissean Noble smiles, “Good evening, Sia. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

“Oh! So formal! Relax a little, buddy! It’s just me and I am not here on business”, the Minister of Magic places himself elegantly on the edge of Victor’s desk, “So what’s up?”

The prince snorts, “Shouldn’t it be the other way around?”

The Sage shrugs, “Who cares. So, how’s it going?”

The heir to the throne of Ylisse sighs, “Well, the meetings concerning the upcoming war are progressing as you should already know and I am drowned in reports and documents to look over as you can see.”

Cartesia huffs, “Not that. I mean with Yuuri! Has there been progress since last time? He seemed quite shy, when I handed him the map of the castle.”

Victor flushes pink, “W-What? W-Wait? H-How?”, he stumbles over the words as realisation hits him, “Chris.”

“Chris”, comes the answer from his childhood friend in a sing-song.

The silver-haired man groans and rubs his eyes, when he remembers, what his friend has said, “Wait! What do you mean with ‘handed him the map of the castle’?”

His friend pouts, “Don’t stray from the issue. But, well, I had a little chat with him just outside in one of the halls. He was totally lost without any directions and I maybe have tracked his movements just for fun for some time now…”

The Ylissean Noble shoots the other a pointed stare and lets out a breath after a few seconds, “Please don’t tell me, you were weird.”

The noble snickers, “Don’t worry. I like him. He is fun. So, I won’t be doing anything weird… Well, besides the usual.”

“Oh Naga! What did you do?”, Victor takes on a horrified look, clearly knowing what his friend is capable of.

The Sage giggles at the panicked look of his liege, “Nothing much. I just asked him, what he thought about magic… and you. So no biggie!”

The prince covers his face in his hands in exasperation.

Why do all of his friends want to involve themselves in his personal life?

Cartesia looks at his friend, enjoying the emotions radiating from his childhood friend. Vitya had rarely been so open and genuine in his behaviour. Yuuri’s effect on the royal really shouldn’t be underestimated.

“So, do you want to know?”, the Sage teases gleefully, but Victor shakes his head.

The Minister of Magic pouts again, “Why not?”

The Ylissean Noble finally comes out of hiding and glares at the other, “Because that would be an intrusion in privacy and that would be unfair to Yuuri.”

“If you say so”, Sia shrugs his shoulders. How boring.

He looks back to study his friend again, a smile tugging on his lips.

The prince had bitten down on his bottom lip, a curious shimmer in his eyes, mixed together with wavering determination.

Oh, so he really wanted to know, what his Tactician thinks of him, but doesn’t want to violate the other’s privacy. Well, he could tell him. But where would be the fun in that.

The dark-haired noble smirks.

Suddenly, everything seems much more interesting again.

* * *

Yuuri finds himself in front of the grand door to the Ministry of Finance.

He doesn’t know why, but somehow the door gives off the feeling of intimidation.

He takes a big gulp before opening the door.

Behind the entrance he finds a great hall with many people still in working mode, not paying attention to anything besides the paperwork in front of them.

The Tactician scans the area and seems to find the reception to his right. As he walks up to the busy-looking woman, he tries to gather his thoughts about what he came here for and goes through different ways to express his plea. The atmosphere in this room gives him more or less the feeling of intruding on very important business and he feels very uncomfortable.

The lady notices him one step before the young man stands right before her. She has red glasses and long blond hair and her attire is that of a typical receptionist. Yuuri hopes that he didn’t judge wrongly.

“Em…”, he stammers out, blushing from embarrassment, “Excuse me, I have an important issue to discuss with the Minister of Justice.”

The woman looks at him with a smile, “Do you have an appointment?”

The amnesiac shakes his head, his flush deepening, “No, but…”

The secretary clicks her tongue, “Then I will have to see, what I can do for you. Can I please have your name and status to announce your presence to the chief and then we will see if he has time for an unannounced visit?”

Yuuri nods, “Yes, of course! Yuuri Katsuki, second-in-command of the Shepherds under the command of Victor… Eh I mean Crown Prince Victor Nikiforov. It concerns the inventory.”

The receptionist freezes for an instant, “I will be back in one second.”

She vanishes with a quick step and not one minute later comes back, gesturing to Yuuri to follow her, “This way, please. His lordship awaits you.”

He is lead to a big door at the end of the hall, the woman knocks on the door once again and announces them, before opening the door for the Tactician.

The dark-haired man enters the room and bows immediately after coming face to face with the Minister of Finance. He doesn’t want to be disrespectful, especially if he wants something from him.

“My deepest gratitude for accepting my unannounced visit, Milord”, Yuuri tries to not stutter and fall over his words.

“Be at ease”, a sharp but gentle voice responds, “Can I offer you some tea?”

The Shepherd shakes his head, “No, thank you. I didn’t want to take too much of your precious time, Milord.” He looks up at the minister, clothed in golden robes, who waves at his secretary with a “That is all, thank you.”

Viscount Jade Ivory has long cyan-coloured hair, light brown-red eyes and black glasses. He has a rather intimidating presence and is near the same height as Victor. As far as Yuuri knows, the noble is 22 years old and was hailed as genius from the age of ten. Moreover, the noble got appointed as Finance Minister at the age of 15 and remained in the position until now. He truly is an amazing person.

The Minister gestures to the seat on the other side of his desk, “Please make yourself comfortable then. Time is a precious asset.”

“Right!”, Yuuri scrambles, embarrassed, to the seat.

The noble studies him for a bit, before crossing his arms, “What can I do for you, Mister Katsuki.”

“Yuuri”, the magic user responds automatically and flushes instantly, “That is, if you so prefer that as well, Milord.”

The Viscount looks stunned, before a small smile tugs at the corners of his lips, “Only if you call me Jade, Yuuri.”

The Tactician blinks surprised and nods still bashful, “My gratitude, Milord… Ehm Jade.”

Viscount Ivory nods, “So, how can I help you, Yuuri? I assume, if you made the trip to my office personally, it is something of utter importance.”

The brown-eyed man flushes deeper, “Em… It concerns the Shepherds expenditures”, he hands over the balance sheets and reports to the other and points to the significant parts, “Here. The Shepherds all have a room in the barracks of the guards, but we are provided another house, which is used as our base and sleeping place. So we don’t need the additional space in the Royal Garrison. The space could be used for other soldiers instead and the monetary power gained from giving this part up, could be used for our equipment and other necessities, so that we could safe some funds and recruit more soldiers. Especially in Ylisse’s current preparations for war we need all the fire power, we can get and focus on the significant areas to invest. Also, I wanted to go over the plans and your opinion concerning the citizen safety measures, the money for the war preparations and funds for the storage of food, medical treatment and hygiene. Wars can take up years of our time and we have to make sure to plan accordingly. I wanted to talk to you about these issues tomorrow before the meetings, however, as we will set out early, there won’t be much time for that now.”

Viscount Ivory looks at him with wide, glimmering eyes, he clears his throat, “I don’t have any prior engagements, so the stage is yours. But please, let me call for some tea first.”

Yuuri’s plea concerning the unnecessary of the barrack rooms for the Shepherds gets approved and the balance sheet gets corrected accordingly.

After that they spend one hours discussing various possibilities and scenarios, calculating funds, gains and risks, while the Viscount takes, to his own insistence, some notes to bring Yuuri’s ideas and arguments up with the council during his absence.

The two get interrupted by a soft knock on the door with Georgi entering apologetic, “Pardon the intrusion, but I need to borrow Yuuri, Milord.”

The Minister of Finance looks a little disappointed, but nods sternly, “If you so must”, then he turns to the amnesiac with a slight smile, “I’ll see you then after your return from the mission for some tea in my office.”

Yuuri nods, a smile dancing on his lips as well. For all what has been said about the stern Finance Minister, in truth he actually is a very passionate guy with great diligence and work ethic.

“Until then. I wish you a good night, Jade”, he says with a light bow.

The Viscount nods, smiling, “I you as well, Yuuri. Stay safe.”

And Georgi’s mouth drops in disbelief as he ushers his brother-in-arms and himself out of the office.

They exit the complex of the Ministry of Finance and walk up the hallway, Georgi still gaping.

“So what do you need from me?”, Yuuri breaks the silence, which seems to let the other snap out of it.

The Mage hums, still a little shocked at a smiling Minister of Finance, “Well, I actually need your help in distributing some paperwork as we have to delegate the papers due this week”, he leads the Tactician to his office and points at the stacks of reports, “Chris already takes care of the documents for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Politics, Mila deals with the papers concerning the Ministry of Interior Affairs and Social Affairs, Anya helps with the reports for the Ministry of Magic and Agriculture and my responsibility are the stacks for the Prime Minister and the Military. The Royal Court and Household are already taken care of by Nikolai, but I need help with the stack for the Justice Department and the Ministry of Finance. They are one of the biggest.”

The magic user just nods, “Then let’s make fast work.”

They run around several times to delegate all the documents to the different ministries. After Yuuri is done with his parts, he even has a short talk with the Minister of Justice Duke Crispino, who profusely thanks Yuuri for his deeds during the rescue of his daughter and promises that if he could always come to him if he needed help.

When the Tactician can finally leave to walk back to Victor’s office, he is tired and exhausted.

The prince greets him enthusiastically, still buried in further paperwork.

“I thought, you weren’t coming back with how long your discussion had taken! Did Viscount Ivory give you a hard time? Don’t worry, he is always like that!”, the Ylissean Noble tries to console his second-in-command.

“Oh no. Not at all. We had a nice conversation and the barracks-issue got solved. We even discussed topics to bring up in the meetings we will miss. I was late, because we lost each other in conversation and planning and then Georgi needed my help with delegating some papers. And then Duke Crispino had a talk with me and before all of that I ran into the Minister of Magic and yeah…”, Yuuri sighs as Victor raises his eyebrows in interest, but the amnesiac shakes his head, “I’ll tell you some other time. For now, let’s focus on our task, so that we can enjoy the Rose Festival together.”

The prince nods with a slight pout, but obediently goes back to reading the reports in front of him, having more concentration with Yuuri by his side again.

They work silently along-side each other, trying to finish as much documents as possible, before going to bed exhausted after dealing with the most relevant papers.

The next four days would be taxing, but with the promise of the Rose Festival as their motivation staying in their minds and hearts, Yuuri and Victor wish to tackle their responsibilities head on.


	10. From Sickle to Sword

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Shepherd's start their mission and tackle the Farfort in the South first.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey^^
> 
> Another chapter for you!  
> Enjoy!!
> 
> Love, Ria

The next morning Yuuri is woken up by a servant at dawn.

The young Tactician gets out of bed reluctantly, wishing he could just sleep a little longer. But he knows that he has his duties to fulfil and doesn’t want to let down his prince. So, after dressing himself he joins the Shepherds for breakfast and then makes last minute preparations, before they are assigned to meet up in front of the garrison. The young man double checks, if he has all necessary items for travelling with him. And decides which tomes to bring along. As they will travel up north into the cold, Yuuri thinks, they could use more Fire magic, the Tactician stuffs a Fire tome into one of his pockets. Then he takes an Ice and a Thunder tome, equips his steel sword on his left side, another Ice tome on his right side and puts three vulneraries in his last free pocket.

He looks in his mirror and nods at himself.

His preparations are complete and he is ready to set out.

Yuuri leaves his quarters and heads to the meeting point.

Phichit, Chris and Seung-gil are already there, discussing something hilarious with each other, as the Mercenary is holding his stomach, the Myrmidon is furrowing his eyebrows amused and the Archer is trying to hold back laughter.

When the Tactician joins them, Phichit’s smile grows bigger.

“Yuuri! Good morning! How did you sleep?”

Yuuri yawns and holds his right hand before his mouth.

He really isn’t a morning person.

“Could have slept in longer. How are you all doing?”

Chris smirks, “We’re doing fine. How was your evening yesterday? Did Victor agree to show you around the upcoming festival?”

Yuuri nods, his cheeks flushing a little bit.

“Yeah, he did. He insists to show me all the attractions during the Rose Festival. I still feel a little bit guilty about it, hogging him all to myself on that special day, but he said that he doesn’t have any prior engagements. So, I guess it is alright.”

“Of course, it is!”, Victor appears out of nowhere, hugging Yuuri from behind, “There is nothing, I would rather do, than spend time with my second-in-command showing him the greatness of our Halidom!”

The Tactician freezes for one moment, but immediately relaxes into the hug. The prince always has a thing for surprises.

“Good morning, Victor!”, Yuuri chuckles at his enthusiasm, “Great to see you in such high spirits before our mission!”

Victor lets go of him and smiles brightly as his mouth turns heart-shaped, he chirps tenderly, “Good morning, Yuuri!”

They stare at another smiling, simply lost in each other’s eyes.

Chris coughs slightly and Phichit grins smugly, while Seung-gil remains stoic. Yuuri and Victor both turn away a little bit embarrassed, but then the prince grins at his friends, “Good morning! Hope you are ready for some bandit clearing! I will wait for everyone to arrive, then we will go through our mission for the next four days and head out after our meeting.”

“Yes of course, cheri”, Chris salutes playfully and adds with a wink to Victor, “Great to see you so devoted to your job, Commander! I think the Yuuri-effect shouldn’t be underestimated any longer!”

Seung-gil snorts and the second-in-command turns red at that, stammering something like “It’s not… I’m not…”, while Victor just shakes his head, scratching his neck blushing a little and Phichit starts laughing loudly at their antics.

“Well”, the heir to the throne of Ylisse tries to find his words, “It has become rather easy to do my job with our great Tactician beside me. I don’t know, how I lived without his organizing skills before”, he winks at Yuuri, who just chuckles at him playfully, having regained his composure.

“Well, Your Highness, your statement certainly explains all the long-forgotten documents and the paperwork chaos in your office the first time I entered it. I didn’t know that a prince is allowed to slack off on his job.”

“Yuuuuuri! How you wound me!”, the crown prince puts his hands over his heart and starts pouting, “How will I ever recover from this?”

The amnesiac smirks smugly, seemingly enjoying their little game.

“If you don’t, then that’s your problem, _dear Commander_!”, Yuuri tips his nose playfully with his forefinger, “Your Highness, I can’t take care of every mess you make! Someday you have to grow up, my _dear_ prince.”

Victor gasps at that, trying to sound exasperated, “But _Yuuuuri_!!!”

Chris shakes his head trying to hold back his laughter, while trying not to end up like Phichit rolling on the ground and holding his stomach.

And Seung-gil just smirks amused at his friends and a rolling around Mercenary. The situation is just hilarious.

When the others finally arrive, they are confused at the scene unfolding in front of them: a hard-breathing Phichit on the ground, a shaking Chris holding his stomach, a Seung-gil trying to hold back a wide grin, an arm-crossing Yuuri with a smug lip-curl and their pouting Captain, hanging off the Tacticians right shoulder.

Mila grins amused seeing her cousin in this kind of state. Victor’s true self is always covered by a cool and objective, but sometimes calculated dramatic façade. It is rather rare experiencing this side of him, being playful and vulnerable, but true to himself. He only shows it at very private times or more often when he is with Yuuri. Her cousin’s masque completely vanishes, whenever he talks to the Tactician.

The War Cleric gently eyes the two young men, being thankful that Victor was able to find someone, he can be himself with and trust so intimately.

Then she sighs at the thought that she has to break the moment, so that they can set out on their mission, “Seems like you had a rather heated discussion, my friends. What were you talking about?”

Phichit huffs, still unable to form coherent words.

Seung-gil tries to find a neutral expression, but mostly fails.

“Well you see—“, Chris wants to start explaining, but stops when he meets his best friend’s eyes.

Victor immediately let’s go of Yuuri and one simply could see, how the masque is put on, hiding everything beneath with it, their Commander and prince coming back to life to guide them in their upcoming mission.

“We were talking about nothing of importance. Is everyone here, so we can start the briefing?”, the crown prince glides his gaze over his allies.

“Yes, everyone arrived some minutes ago. We can start with the meeting”, the red-head states calmly.

Victor smiles at that, “Good! Then let’s start. Come with me, Yuuri!”

They walk to a small podium. Victor taking the centre with Yuuri standing to his right and Yakov coming up to take his place to the prince’s left.

All the others gather in front of them, giving all their attention to their Captain and prince.

“Good morning, my dear friends! I hope you rested well and double checked your equipment. Our mission is to help four villages, which send a help request concerning brigands attacking them. One is in Ylissean territory, the other requests come from our ally Ferox. Today we will go to the Farfort, a small village on an island in South Ylisse. Then we will head out to Ferox to seek out the Twin’s Turf, the Peaceful Village and the Twin’s Hideout in our remaining three days. The locations are at the border between our two countries and close as per our map, so it should be possible for us to clear the villages of bandits in three days. The Twin’s are the twin bandits Vincent and Victor…”, the prince furrows his brows, seemingly not pleased with sharing a name with a bandit. Yuuri snickers and Victor gives him a suffering stare, then he continues, “According to the reports from Khan Celestino the twins are two Berserkers, who are causing some trouble for some time now. With this plan, we will be back for the Rose Festival and can have a day off. So, we will hopefully stick to the plan! With our briefing now finished. We will start to head out! Let’s go my friends. Shepherds we are heading out!”

Cheers erupt from the Shepherds and they start marching south to Farfort. According to Yuuri’s calculations the Shepherds will arrive around noon at the village. The journey is agreeable as they aren’t interrupted by Risen or other causalities. Yuuri decides to engage Phichit and Seung-gil in a conversation about swordsmanship after the first hour of discussing strategies and facts about their mission with Victor.

He loves spending time with the prince, but the Tactician knows that he has to put more effort into learning the ropes of combat in order to safeguard his friends against the obstacles they will meet during their journeys.

After a heated discussion of sword and lance manoeuvres joined by Emil, Michele, Sara and Mila the magic user joins Nikolai, Georgi and Anya in their conversation about magical experiments.

Victor sighs envious of his friends getting Yuuri’s attention.

“Jealous, mon cher?”, Chris pats him on the shoulder.

“Chris, I’m such a douche. I know that he has every right to bond with the others and that he wants to learn more about magic, weapons and our teammates. I know that, but I only want him at my side. What should I do? I am such a failure as Captain, prince and human being”, Victor plants his face into his hands, sighing loudly.

His best friend chuckles at his antics, “You’ve really got it bad, cheri!”

“I know!”, Victor pouts, “But I can’t help it! He’s just…”

“Just?”, the Archer furrows his brows.

“Just so perfect and lovable! And his eyes, I could write thousands of poems about them…”, the prince swoons.

“Does he know?”, Chris whispers quietly.

“Know what?”, the Ylissean Noble looks confused at his friend.

The Duke of Rosanne facepalms, “So he doesn’t?”

“Doesn’t what? What do you mean, Chris?”, Victor looks irritated at the other.

“I asked you, if you told him about your feelings”, the Archer crosses his hands and looks sternly into the crown prince’s blue eyes.

“I haven’t told him”, Victor responds.

The noble grabs him by his shoulders, “Why, cheri? When you are so far gone for that man! Why don’t you tell him? What holds you back? Where is the selfish Victor I know? Bold and without caring about the consequences?”

The prince of Ylisse turns quiet and stoic for one instant, then his face shifts into a stern look, “Chris, I won’t tell him. There is a bloody war coming up. We have other things to worry about. I have to devote myself to the safety and happiness of my people.”

“What about your happiness, Vitya?”, the Archer stares him right into his eyes, “You can’t tell me that you don’t see it too. I’ve never ever seen you this happy with someone else in your entire life. You were never this caring and sweet to anyone else. Your masque isn’t there, when you spend time with him. You are so full of emotion, so full of life! You are more selfless than I have ever seen you before. You—"

“I know, Chris”, Victor interrupts him, “I know. I am a selfish person by nature. Not the nice and perfect prince a lot of people want me to be. I am not wise and patient like my grandmother. I am not strong, direct and brave like Mila. I am not as knowledgeable as Yakov or experienced and devoted as you. I have a lot of faults and Yuuri… Yuuri doesn’t want me to be perfect, he doesn’t let his sight be clouded by ‘The Prince’. He wants to see the real me. Just Victor. And I really want to be selfish, but I can’t, not when it concerns him. Besides, aside from the amnesia, he already deals with so much, I don’t want to burden him further with my feelings. Yuuri deserves the world and I want to give him that. Even when that means that I can’t have my heart’s desire, but that is how much he means to me.”

Chris blinks up at his best friend stunned and speechless.

The crown prince of Ylisse smiles lightly, but with a sad and yearning look in his blue eyes. His gaze is heart-breaking.

The archer then ruffles through the prince’s silver hair, “You really have thought this through, cheri. I’m impressed and astonished of you getting this mature and self-sacrificing, however, I don’t appreciate your point of view and I am still clinging to my statement that you deserve happiness as well as Yuuri and everyone else does. It may not be the time for that now. But never give up on finding happiness, cheri. And he makes you the happiest, so I will stick to my arguments.”

The heir to the throne grins at his friend’s behaviour, “Never thought, we would have such a serious conversation. But thank you. It’s good to have such a great friend like you by my side. I don’t think, I have ever told you, how much I appreciate your presence.”

Chris smiles gently and nudges him amicably, “You’re welcome. And you can thank me later with a wedding invitation from the both of you, the position of best man and detailed stories of his great rear!”

Victor starts laughing and nudges his best friend playfully back, “Chriiiis!”

It really is great to have good friends.

* * *

Marching further south they cross the grand stone bridge, which connects the mainland to the island, where the Farfort is located.

Yakov points out that it should only take them one more hour to arrive at the village. Yuuri, Victor, Mila and the Great Knight discuss the strategy again, when a cry startles them.

“Halp! Halp!”, a young boy with dark grey hair and brown eyes runs along the road in their direction breathing heavily.

When he spots them, he cries out, “You have to flee! Run! They are coming! I have to get help!”

Victor stops him in his tracks with Yakov staying by his side searching the area with his gaze cautiously, “Slow down. What happened?”

The young boy, seemingly around seventeen years looks at him blankly, but starts talking when he sees the weapons and the insignia of the knights of Ylisse, “Halp! You gots to help us! I’m beggin’ you, Milords! Please, our village—”

“Oy! There’s the wee piglet!”, a rough voice interrupts the young man.

Victor grimaces, “Great Bandits!”

“What’s this? A little lordling come to watch over his chattel? Haw ha”, the brigand chuckles but stops, when realization dawns on him, “Aw, damn me! Shepherds!”

“That’s right, So, what’ll it be? Run and live? Or fight and die?”, the prince’s voice and his stare is ice-cold. Yuuri shivers internally.

The brigand doesn’t think twice and runs with all he has.

The Commander of the Shepherds turns to the rescued man, “Quickly, lad. What happened here?”

The villager answers, still shaken from his run, “Y-yes, Milord! Right away, Milord! … Er, if it pleases Your Graciousness.”

Victor sighs, they are getting nowhere, “Maybe just hold off on titles for now. What’s your name?”

“Toshiya. Er, that is Toshiya Katsuki. …Your Majestyful. I live in the village just beyond, Sir.”

“The Farfort then”, Yuuri raises his voice deep in his thoughts and the boy’s eyes widen in surprise and disbelief.

“Yuuri? Is that you?”, Toshiya blinks rapidly, then stands up and throws himself at the confused Tactician, “It is you! How’ave you been? How’s your travel? How did you join the Shepherds? Mom misses you a lot and me too. It’s great to see you again!”

The Captain exchanges a curious glance with his second-in-command, who seemingly doesn’t know, what is happening right now.

“You know me?!?”, Yuuri stutters out.

Toshiya stops the hug and looks the other confused in the eyes, “Yes. Of course, I know you. What kind of question is that even? You are my one and only older brother!”

Yuuri freezes up again, his thoughts in utter chaos.

He has a brother? He is from Farfort? He was on a journey? To where?

Why doesn’t he remember anything of it? Nothing about it seems familiar!

Victor raises an eyebrow concerned by the chaotic look in Yuuri’s eyes and turns to Toshiya to explain the complicated circumstances.

“Well, you see. We found Yuuri on the grass with no memories about his past days. He even didn’t know his own name for some time. That’s why he is in a state of utter confusion. But it’s great that he can meet his family again after our business here is done. So to come back to the main issue, what happened?”

Toshiya gulps, “That rotten-toothed, pig-stinkin’ bandit, you just ran off attacked us! Er, pardon my language, You Lordliness. I’m the only one that got away, and even then just barely. They were roundin’ up others to haul ‘em off to a bandit camp… Please, Sir! You gots to save them folks! My Ma’s one of ‘em, and… She’s all I got in this world besides my brother! Please, Your Royal Highness!”

Yuuri snaps out of his daze the second time he hears the word brother and looks at Victor full with determination and fire. They nod to each other and Yuuri gestures their troops to prepare for battle.

“All right, Toshiya. We will save your village and your mother. Can you lead us to them?”, the prince looks the villager with conviction in the eyes.

“Thank you, Milord! Thank you! Just follow me, Your Sirness! They won’t be at the village any longer. I know a short cut to their hideout!”

* * *

In the meantime, the fleeing brigand reaches the hideout deeply hidden in the evergreen forest around the village. He stumbles over rocks and the crumbling walls of their secret hideout turned ruin. Breathing heavily from the exhaustion, he runs into their meekly furnished meeting room, where his boss and leader of their group Roddick and the other are discussing future raids.

“Boss! Trouble! Shepherds!”, the brigand tries to catch his breath to relate his acquired information to their leader.

“T’is betta be important, youn’ lad t’interrupt our meetin’!”, Roddick hisses at the incoming comrade and his rudeness of interrupting his plans.

“Sorry, boss. But the Shepherds with their Commander ’re comin’. The wee piglet got to them an’ spilled the beans!”

Roddick goes silent, thinking, “The Shepherds? … An’ their Commander ‘s with them? And you’re sure a’this?”

The exhausted brigand nods, “On the grave of my sainted holy mother, I swear it. It was Victor and his Shepherds, and no mistake!”

The whole bunch laughs ugly.

“Heh heh heh. A fancy prince’ll fetch a high ransom from noble folk. We’ll have the little man squealin’ for mercy in no time!”, Roddick grins.

At this an elder woman raises her voice, “We got nothin’ left to take, Sirs. Please, let our children go!”

Roddick snarls, “Quit yer bleatin’!”

One of the leader’s comrades eyes the woman thoughtfully, “Oy, Roddick! I think this cow’s the mum of the brat what ran away!”

The boss of the bandits eye’s the woman up and down, “…Say, I know this one. You’re the wife of the man what broke my rib last time we were ‘ere.”

Toshiya’s mother growls at that, “And you killed him for it, monster! I wish he’d done for you first…”

Roddick chortles, “Small wonder the brat’s got more than brains if you’re his mum. Guess we’ll see for ourselves when we catch him, eh? Maybe we’ll even make ya watch as we gut him! Bwa ha ha!”

The woman gasps exasperated and horrified, “N-no! Please, he’s just a boy! Have mercy!”

But the leader of the thugs ignores her and turns towards his comrades to go over the possible escape routes of the young man.

* * *

The forest is dense with all the trees and plants being close to each other.

The Shepherds wander cautiously through the brushwood, vary of possible ambushes from the bandits. However, the reach their destination guided by Toshiya with no complication or disturbance.

Yuuri crinkles his forehead. It seems the brigands either still don’t know, who’s coming for them or want to fight out the battle at their hideout.

“This here’s where they’ve taken up camp, Your Lordshipness!”, Toshiya whispered loudly enough for everyone to hear and Yuuri taps Yuuko at her shoulder, whispering into her right ear. They both nod at each other, he climbs up to sit behind her and they push into the sky without a comment from the rest. Victor’s gaze follows his Tactician confused and stares into the sky, before remembering that he should answer the young villager.

“Er…right. Thanks, Toshiya”, Victor nods at Yuuri’s claimed brother, “Stay close, now.”

The villager furrows his eyebrows as realisation dawns on him, “Beg your pardon, Milord? You don’t mean…? I…I can’t fight, Sir! I ain’t never even stuck a pig before!”

The prince looks surprised, “Oh, sorry. I just assumed because your Yuuri’s brother…”, Yuuri and Yuuko land, the young magic-user thanking the Pegasus Knight, Victor’s gaze lands again on Yuuri, who seems to be deep in thought, then he turns around to their guide again, “I mean… Look, just stay here. You’ll be fine. We’ll protect you.”

Toshiya’s eyes start to glow dreamily, “I wish, I was strong as you Sirs and Madams! Kick that scum out single handed, I would!”

This seems to snap the amnesiac out of his thoughts, fixating his gaze knowingly on Victor. The Captain of the Shepherds puts his forefinger to his lips and analyses the villager for some time and the Tactician knows, what his Commander will say in one minute.

“Victor, I don’t believe…”, Yuuri tries to not involve his claimed brother in the upcoming battle.

But the prince just says smiling, “Then you should fight and grow stronger with the experience”, and Yuuri deadpans. He was too late.

Toshiya is startled, “But I ain’t—.”

Victor shakes his head, “No man is born a warrior, Toshiya. And farm work makes for fine training — a sickle’s not far from a sword, after all. Bandits may be tougher than wheat, but the principle’s the same”, he winks at the young man.

The villager starts sniffling, determination burning in his look and he straightens his back, “A-all right, Milord. As you say, I’m no warrior. But these’re my people. I gots to do what I can”, he looks at Yuuri, “And I want to stand as tall as my brother!”

The Tactician flushes moved by the words of his claimed younger brother.

Victor grins satisfied, then turns to his squad, “Are you all ready?”

The responses are positive and they head to the southeast of the bandit’s hideout. As they step close to the clearing around the ruins, brigands step out of their camp. So, they were expected to come to them, Yuuri concludes.

Victor and Yuuri nod at each other and the prince asks his allies, “Everyone in place?”, while the Tactician studies their foes.

Their enemies are classed as Barbarians, Archers and Thieves. The boss of the bandits is nowhere to be seen, so he concludes that he must hide in the ruin. So, Yuuri focuses on coming up with a strategic plan and starts to speak out loud without noticing.

“Sword-users would be our advantage against the Barbarians, for the Thieves: parties with lances or swords should do the trick and we should send out ranged units to distract or better defeat the Archers…If we can’t defeat them that way, at least we would distract them, from our direct combatants... The leader hides deeper in the ruins. From the view above, we can only enter from the southwestern part. So, Phichit, Seung-gil, Takeshi and Emil are our front fighters concerning the Barbarians. We should let Michele, Sara and Mila back them up. Then Georgi, Chris and Anya can focus on the Archers. Yuuko, Yakov and Toshiya stay at the back, to oversee the fight and intervene when the opportunity arises. But Yuuko has to stay clear of Archers. And Victor and I join the front, fighting our way to the head of the bandits. … Not too bad… I think, we should give this plan a thought… Victor?”, Yuuri turns around and finds that the prince and his friends are all staring at him with anticipation and approval.

“You never cease to amaze me, Yuuri. It was great thinking of you to overlook the hideout from above”, their Captain smiles proudly at his Tactician, “The plan is perfect.”

Victor turns to his friends, “So you heard our strategist. Any questions to your roles? No? Then group up. And just for protocol: never let someone fight alone. If you need healing and are out of vulneraries, search for Mila or Anya and if you need backup whistle three times or try to get away and find our allies. Don’t take dangerous risks. Better safe than sorry.”

He scans over his comrades smiling and draws his sword, “To victory!”

“To victory!”, they all respond and the fight starts.

The battle isn’t as difficult as their previous ones with the Plegian soldiers.

The bandits have a lot of strength, but their speed and wits are lacking. Furthermore, nobody seems to strategically direct their movements. So, with Yuuri’s plan they have them easily defeated, confronting the boss with almost all of the Shepherds – Phichit and Seung-gil being preoccupied with raiding the bandit’s hideout. Even Toshiya successfully wins his first fights and has a role in defeating Roddick.

After the battle and Phichit jumping around at finding a Rescue Staff and a Killer Lance with a smirking Seung-gil behind him — Toshiya turns to Victor with bright eyes, “We did it! We’re rid of the bandits for good and all! Our village is safe!”

The prince snickers at his antics, “A worthy first victory, Toshiya. You fought well. You can be proud.”

Then he turns to his allies, “Well fought, my friends! Now let’s rescue the villagers and make sure of the safety of this area.”

At this Chris, Sara and Georgi go to free the hostages, while Mila and Anya tend to their wounds. Victor, Yuuri and Yakov and the rest of the Shepherds examine the area around them in order to prevent ambushes and clear the hideout off other possible threats.

Then they join the others in helping with tending to the villagers. Toshiya runs up to his mother, embracing her tightly, “Ma! Ma, it’s me!”

Victor and Yuuri smiling happily behind them, before the Tactician leaves to make the preparations for their departure to the village.

His mother gasps and wraps her arms around her son, “Oh, Toshi! Thank goodness you’re safe! I was worried near to death, boy! I can’t thank you enough for savin’ my son and our village, Milord! …Toshi! Where are your manners?! Take a knee and thank His Lordness!”

Toshiya turns beet-red at that, “Er, I can’t begin to repay all what you’ve done for us, Sir! Th-thank you!”

The crown prince just smiles tenderly at him.

“You led the charge, Toshiya. We just picked off the stragglers. Hone your potential and use it to keep this village safe. But now let us head back to your home before night falls. You should all rest and recover from the nightmares you had to live through.”

* * *

The march to the village goes down without a hitch and they arrive shortly. The villagers immediately start to prepare a feast for their heroes and saviours. And the Shepherds decide to stay in the inn for the night.

Yuuri gets taken away by Toshiya and his mother Hitomi at their arrival.

Victor and the others decide to give them some family time to catch up or for Yuuri to maybe remember some of his memories.

Hitomi catches the amnesiac in a tight embrace.

“It is so good to see you again, Yuuchan! And thank you for aiding us and keeping Toshi safe!”, the brown- haired and brown-eyed woman tries to hold her tears back.

Toshi hugs Yuuri and the Tactician feels a nostalgic feeling going through him. He knows that they must have known each other, but no memories were coming back to him. However, the emotion of safety, kindness, familiarity and warmth remained.

Yuuri hugs him back, “Even though, I don’t remember you. I feel that you were and still are important to me. So, it’s nice to see you all again, I guess.”

Toshiya lets him go and smiles gently, “It’s tragic that you lost your memories. But you are still the very same Yuu.”

The dark-haired man pats his brother carefully on the head, “That’s nice to know, I guess. So? You are my brother and my mother?”, Yuuri pauses, “I am sorry for asking. It must be tough on you…”

His mother chuckles, “I think that you have it way tougher, my dear! It must be painful to not remember anything, especially…”, she shakes her head, dismissing what she clearly wanted to say, “Come with us, I want to show you some paintings and prepare some oolong tea, before we discuss the difficult questions.”

She nudges Yuuri and Toshiya inside on of the village houses. The house seems friendly and has bright colours and some bushes in the garden.

The inside is the same: bright colours, friendly decorated furniture and a lot of plants in each room.

Yuuri and Toshiya take a seat in the living quarters at a small table and Hitomi prepares green tea for them. When she sits down with them, the woman musters the Tactician carefully.

She takes a sip of her tea and then starts, “Yes, Yuuchan. I am your mother and Toshi is your younger brother, however not in a biological way”, Hitomi pauses letting her words sink in. When Yuuri remains silent, she decides to continue, “Your biological mother came over to Ylisse near the end of the Great War with Plegia. Her name was Sakura. She told me that she was originally from Chon’sin, a place far to the west. But her parents decided to migrate to another country when she was a young child. She was a Tactician, just like you. Sakura was always on a journey to gather knowledge”, Hitomi chuckles, “She told me a little bit of her travels and adventures. Like when she met the love of her life in Plegia, married him and gave birth to a wonderful babyboy named Yuuri.”

Yuuri stares at her mesmerised, in shock and speechless all the same, trying to get all the information in his head.

So he is partly of Plegian descend with a mix of a country called Chon’sin. He has to ask Victor later about this other country. For now, the Tactician decides to toss aside all of his questions and listen further to the story of his parents. He nods at Hitomi to continue.

“I don’t know much about your father. Your mother didn’t talk much about him. And it was only you and her that travelled to Ylisse. She and you were strangers in our village. There was discrimination against all Plegians, but as your mother was originally from Chon’sin, there wasn’t much prejudice against her. As Toshi and you were near in your age, you were both 8 years old around this time, we let the both of you play together. That was how our friendship started. The good times”, her gaze turns nostalgic and soft.

She is telling the truth. Yuuri can feel it, see it in her eyes.

Hitomi really liked his mother and when her gaze meets his, he also knows that she sees him like her own.

The amnesiac opens his mouth, “What happened?”

For a split second Toshiya’s mother turns silent as it would pain her to tell more, but then she decides to continue with her story, “It was near the end of the war, when she told me that she can’t stay in the village for any longer. That her husband was searching for her and that she would endanger everyone by staying. I tried to get more information out of her. I didn’t want her to leave. She had gotten to be my best friend and I didn’t want to lose her. But I couldn’t convince her to stay. The only thing she begged of me…”, Hitomi stilled in her telling, gaze blank and sad.

Yuuri reaches over the table and squeezes her hand gently.

She squeezes back and reaches her other hand out to Toshi.

“She wanted me to take care and raise her son for her.”

Yuuri starts to shake slightly, “A-and you took me in.”

The old lady nods, “I and my husband took you in as our own to raise you together with Toshiya. I swore to her that I would raise her little one into a good and healthy man…So…”, tears start to flow down Hitomi’s cheeks, “So that… that when she decides to come back, she can be proud of you. But I never saw her again… Even though I am still waiting to see my best friend again… to have our family complete…So, yes Yuuri, you are Sakura’s son, but you are also my and my dead husband’s son as well. You are a Katsuki.”

Small wet drops touch Yuuri’s hand and he notices that he is crying.

When he turns to Toshiya, he sees the same emotion in his eyes.

The young Tactician stands up and pulls his mother and brother both into a tight embrace, “Thank you for telling me. Thank you for taking me in. Thank you for being there for me.”

Hitomi squeezes him, “Of course, my boy. I love you both so very much.”

The three of them don’t remember, how long they spend embracing each other and crying in comfort, but when they all pull back, the sun is about to set and another villager enters the house to inform them that the feast is ready. Yuuri, Toshiya and Hitomi join the villagers and the Shepherds shortly and after some nice words from the village chief the prepared banquet starts. After spending further time with his family while eating, Yuuri excuses himself and searches the place for his Commander.

He isn’t used to being without Victor that long.

And somehow it makes him a little anxious.

When the second-in-command spots the prince, his feet immediately start towards his target. Chris, who is sitting beside him, notices Yuuri first and whispers something into Victor’s ear that gets him all flustered.

Then the Archer laughs warmly, pats him on the shoulder before standing up nearly shouting, “Yuuri! Where were you for so long? His Royal Highness nearly lost it!”

This earns him a punch and glare from the prince, however Chris just starts laughing again, heading to the dance floor near the fire.

Yuuri’s gaze follows him slightly confused, but he joins Victor and sits down beside him.

“Ignore Chris and his antics. He just loves to tease people”, the leader of the Shepherds grimaces.

“I don’t know, Your Highness. Sometimes he has a point”, the Tactician nudges him and Victor starts to smile.

“I guess sometimes he does”, he studies the amnesiac curiously and fidgets with his hands uneasy, “So how was the talk with your family?”

Yuuri eyes him carefully and Victor’s fidgeting increases.

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, Yuuri. I won’t ever pressure you to, but… I was just curious and… and…”

‘His stuttering is cute’, the magic user thinks and turns embarrassed at his thoughts. This isn’t the time for that.

So he tries to convince the Ylissean Noble to continue talking, “And?”

Victor sighs, “And I was worried. Worried that you need me and I wasn’t there to support you.”

Yuuri’s heart skips a beat and he lowers his gaze, so that the prince can’t see his red cheeks, “Oh… Ehm… It was alright… I was alright. Thanks for worrying, Victor”, without thinking Yuuri takes Victor’s hand and squeezes it gently and the prince stiffens at the touch. Then it all comes back to him in a rush, his thoughts overflowing and turning into a spiral.

‘Oh no, what have I done? I shouldn’t have done that! How do you apologize properly? I should take my hand back! I…’, his mind turns into a puddle of goo, running in circles.

As Yuuri starts to let go of Victors hand, the silver-haired man grips his hand and intertwines their fingers.

The Tactician’s heart starts into overdrive. The pounding becoming unbearably quick and his breath hitches.

“I’ll always worry for you”, Victor looks embarrassed to the side, “Especially when you find your family again without a memory of who they are to you. It must be tough.”

Yuuri closes his eyes. He starts to understand. His Commander is only concerned about the effects their family talk took on his friend, his second-in-command. He shouldn’t let the kind gestures go to his head.

His one-sided crush shouldn’t matter right now. He has to hold it together.

The amnesiac lets out a small sigh to relief all the stress and decides to tell the leader of the Shepherds about the talk.

“Yeah and no. On one hand, it is tough, tough to know that you remember nothing. On the other hand, it feels like everything happened to someone else. However, even though I don’t remember them, I feel deep inside that they are important to me. So memories don’t really matter. We can just make new ones. The bonds, we made, are what count.”

At this Victor squeezes Yuuri’s hand tightly, staring at him in awe and the younger man blushes embarrassed at the long stare from the prince.

“At least, that is what I believe”, the Tactician squeezes back and turns his gaze away, cheeks still pink.

The heir of Ylisse hums in approval and a comfortable silence falls between the two, while the others dance and drink around them.

The second-in-command gathers his thoughts again.

“Hitomi … isn’t my biological mother. She told me my birthmother Sakura hailed originally from Chon’sin, a country to the west. And my father is from Plegia. My mother came with me over to Ylisse near the end of the war. There isn’t much information about my father. Only that my mother had to flee and leave me behind because of him and that he hails from our enemy country. And that Sakura begged Hitomi and her husband to take me in to protect me and keep me safe. So, my name is that of my adopted parents. I am Yuuri Katsuki.”

The Tactician turns to his liege. Victor is still starring at him, his look holding sadness, compassion and fondness in it.

“Yuuri Katsuki”, the prince whispers his name in awe and so gentle and fond that the magic user shivered.

“Yes?”, Yuuri swallows, whispering as well.

“That is a nice name”, the heir to the throne of the Halidom states, “It has a nice ring to it. It suits you.”

“Thank you?”, the strategist of the Shepherds answers nervously.

“So Chon’sin and Plegia”, Victor states matter of factly, “Interesting mixture of a back history. Chon’sin is a traditional country, where honour weighs more than anything else. They are famous for their Sakura Trees. A tree with pink petals and their tea variations. They worship Naga the Divine Dragon King like Ylisse, but pray to the Voice of Naga Tiki, while Plegia is a country with raw materials and sand covering the earth. They worship Grima the Fell Dragon. The current ruler Gangrel leads a religious dictatorship with the Grimleal as his support. The country has a grand history with battles and were the victims of an Ylissean Holy War, also called the Great War, instigated by the previous king… King Alexei Leonidovich… my… my father.”

The prince clenches his teeth bitterly.

Yuuri squeezes his hand. It isn’t only his history unfolding anymore, Victor is opening up to him and telling him about his family too.

“I wish, I could tell you, that he was a good father, but he didn’t spend much time with me. Always to busy with his holy warfare. My mother Anastasia Nevanova unfortunately died during my birth. So she was out of the picture too. My grandmother and grandfather, Former Queen Arina Baranovskaya and King Pietro Tsironev of Ylisse, were living in Valm, visiting an old friend, the Duke of Rosanne, Chris’s grandfather, when my father ceased friendly relations with Plegia. They didn’t know about anything until one year into the war, when my uncle Igor Feltsman, Mila’s father arrived at Rosanne with his wife Raeliana, her sister Freya Babicheva, his daughter Mila and myself. I don’t remember this time very well, but what I remember wasn’t the best. In order to stop my father, my grandfather and my uncle as well as my aunt and her sister gave their life to ensure our future. At the end of it all, my grandmother, the current Exalt had to execute her own son, while grieving the death of her family. She only had Mila and me left and the responsibility of a whole country in shambles. She truly is an amazing woman.”

Victor stops his gaze lingering nowhere particular.

Yuuri holds his hand tightly, “Yes, she truly is”, then he adds quietly, “Thank you for telling me about your family.”

The prince nods absently, his face stern and expressionless.

“I am afraid, Yuuri”, the words come out like a whisper.

The Tactician turns to him confused, “Afraid of what?”

Victor swallows and catches the brown eyes of his strategist. Whenever he looks into those eyes, he can’t seem to lie, all of his barriers become undone, his façade broken by the light. He wants Yuuri to know, needs him to know and understand, “…Of becoming like him…”

Yuuri looks at him fondly and answers determined, “You won’t.”

That startles Victor.

How can he be so sure?

How can his voice be so steady and unwavering?

How does Yuuri know, what he wishes to hear, but give it so much impact that it’s undoubtable. Even by Victor himself.

His voice is barely a whisper, fragile and questioning like an unbelieving but hopeful child, “What makes you so sure?“

Yuuri’s smile turns adoringly fond. He takes Victor’s hand and places a kiss on the back to show his loyalty. Then the Tactician looks straight into the cerulean-blue eyes of his liege and answers with full believe and fondness, “Because I know you.”

Victor just stares at him, getting lost in the depths of the beautiful chocolate-coloured eyes behind the blue-framed glasses, not knowing what to do nor how to react or even speak.

Yuuri holds his gaze warmly and steadfast. However, after a short while he starts grinning widely at the prince’s speechlessness, let’s go of his hands and points to the laughing people turning around the fire in a great circle.

Victor follows his fingers to the people dancing in joy and happiness.

“Your Highness! Today should be celebrated, instead of clouded by old stories of the past. Let us enjoy our victory against the bandits!”

The Tactician of the Shepherds holds out his hand and bows gracefully.

The heir to Ylisse raises an eyebrow, not comprehending the indication.

The raven-haired man lets a small smile curl around his lips, “Your Highness, would you do me the honour of joining me for a dance?”

As if he would wake up from a dream, Victor gives Yuuri his heart-shaped smile and grabs his outstretched hand, “It would be my pleasure!”

They join the others and dance long into the night, full of laughter, trust and new-found adoration for each other.

* * *

Yuuri is woken up before sunrise, when he rolls out of his bed hitting the wooden floor. It isn’t a comfortable waking but not the worst in his opinion. The young man collects himself from the floor and searches his nightstand for his glasses. When he finds them, he puts them on, takes a seat on his bed – he really had a room in the Katsuki household – and goes through his organizing notes, his equipment, yesterday’s adventure and his lovesick behaviour in front of Victor. The amnesiac’s cheeks turn bright red and he puts his head in his hands.

The words ‘I know you’ echo in his head.

Could he have been more obvious?

He should really try and control himself more.

He hopes, he didn’t overstep any boundaries. The magic user doesn’t want his liege to feel uncomfortable around him.

What if Victor hates him now?

He could live with rejection, but being hated, Yuuri wouldn’t survive that. For this he is in too deep already. He squirms in his bed, throwing cushions around. He has to talk to Victor, see how he reacts, if something changed. If he would be mad, Yuuri would apologize a thousand times.

The Tactician closes his eyes. But they did dance full of joy and happiness yesterday around the fire. Maybe nothing really changed. Their bond just became stronger and their friendship deeper. Maybe there isn’t anything to worry about. Before he comes to a conclusion, Toshiya bursts his door open and shouts excited, “Good morning, brother!”

Yuuri opens his eyes, turns to Toshi and greets him, “Good morning!”

They bicker around for some time before their mother calls them for breakfast and the Shepherd collects his things for his upcoming departure.

At quarter to seven the Shepherds are scheduled to gather in the town square to march north to their next assignment.

Yuuri arrives quite early and is one of the first besides Victor, Chris and Yakov. When the prince’s and Yuuri’s gazes interlocked, Victor smiles fondly and waves at him, “Good morning, Yuuri! Have you rested well? How was breakfast? You won’t believe it, but…”, and then Victor goes on and on about his morning duties, Yakov’s strictness and other silly things.

Everything is normal between them. Easy, comfortable, as if nothing had happened. And Yuuri is glad. Glad that nothing changed, that his feelings weren’t discovered, that their bond and trust in each other has been strengthened. He smiles brightly at Victor’s antics and the prince shows him his heart-shaped smile in return. Then duty called, the departure preparations are taken care of and the villagers thank the Shepherds again. However, before they can depart, Toshiya runs up to the heir to the throne of Ylisse, “W-wait! Please!”

Victor turns confused to Yuuri’s brother, “Something wrong?”

Toshiya takes in a deep breath, “I have a request, Sir! Please Your Graceliness… take me with you, Milord! Lemme be a Shepherd like you! I’m good with livestock, I am! Please, Sir!”

Hitomi walks to her son, “Hush now, you fool boy!”

But the village boy stays firm, “I want to hone my skills. I want to keep this place safe! I want to be of use like my brother!... I never thought, I was good for nothin’ more than shovelin’ dirt… But Milord and Yuuri showed me there’s more I can do. More I need to be doing!”

Victor puts his forefinger over mouth, thinking in silence.

Yuuri already knows, how the situation will unfold, so he just waits for the obvious conclusion to this scenario.

His mother shakes him lightly, “You needs be known your place, boy! A farmhand’s no fit for a royal–“

“Actually, we’d be thrilled to have him”, the prince smiles, “The Shepherds need every good man we can find and your son fought bravely in the last battle.”

Toshiya’s mother bites her lower lip, “Y-you’re very kind to say as much, Your Lordshipness, but…”, she turns to her sun and sighs deeply at his puppy eyes, “Well, you’re a man grown now, Toshi. I s’pose you can make up your own mind.”

The farmer’s boy hugs his mother tightly, “Thank you, Ma.”

She returns his embrace, “You just come home safe, love. I’ll see that the village is still standin’ when you return a hero. Don’t give Yuuri too much trouble and support each other”, she reaches out for Yuuri and he embraces both of them, “Whatever may happen, you’ll always have a place to come back to. I love ya both very much.”

After another great cuddle Hitomi lets go of her boys with a proud demeanour, “Off with you, then! Glory’s waitin’, boys!”

Yuuri wipes his unshed tears of the corner of his eyes and Toshiya shakes his head, “I ain’t fightin’ for glory, Ma. I’m fightin’ for you! But if I do find some glory, I’ll be sure to bring it home for you!”

His mother smiles nostalgically, “Just return home, both of you or at least visit me, my sons!”

The Shepherds say their goodbyes and depart from the village, Toshiya walking at Yuuri’s side, determined to support his brother and his prince with all he’s got.


	11. The Secret Seller

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which we learn a little bit more about Yuuri's past (Victuuri moment's are insured ;-) ).

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, my dear readers!
> 
> This is as far as I've had the chance of writing.  
> I hope you can enjoy the story!
> 
> All the best! Stay healthy!  
> And:
> 
> MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!
> 
> Love Ria <3<3<3

After leaving the village and crossing the stone bridge to the mainland, the Shepherds march north to Regna Ferox for their next assignment.

The march is rather lively as all the members are still in a good mood from the festivities and pleasantries the evening before.

Toshiya tries to tell Yuuri about his life before losing his memories, with Victor and Yakov listening closely, while having their own conversations with the other Shepherds.

“So, I am currently 17 years old?”, the Tactician states curiously.

Toshiya nods, “Yes, you were born in winter on November 29 and are currently 17 years old, big brother. As Ma told ya, you came to Farfort, when ya were only 8 years old and we took ya in one year later, when your mother left. You were always talented, smart, kind and polite. You and your mother showed me how to use the sword and we danced very often at the festivals in Ylisse. You told me about all the things you liked and about your travels. But you were very tight-lipped ‘bout your life before coming to Ylisse. So, I can’t tell ya much about your life in Plegia. You always seemed to get distant, when I mentioned anything related to the country.”

At that Yakov stops his conversation with Georgi about possible new training schedules and raises his voice, “So you were born in Plegia?”

Yuuri gulps and Victor immediately chimes into the new-found discussion with Chris, Mila and Phichit at his side to give his second-in-command support against Yakov’s inquiry, “Ah yes! Yuuri’s father is from Plegia and his mother from Chon’sin. After their marriage they stayed in Plegia together. His mother came over at the end of the war to live peacefully with Yuuri in Ylisse. They were…”, the prince eyes his friend thoughtfully and turns silent, not knowing if he should continue as it was not his story to tell.

The Tactician lets out the breath, he was holding, “Hitomi, Toshiya’s mother and my adoptive parent, told me that my birth mother Sakura was fleeing from my father for unknown reasons and left me behind in the custody of the Katsukis for my own safety. As you may have heard, I was 8 years at that time. And I don’t remember anything…”

Yakov nods, filing the new information for later, “It wasn’t an accusation. Just to get the full details. You were no longer someone suspicious, Yuuri.”

“Someone suspicious? Yuuri?”, Toshi’s voice turned angry.

“Toshiya, it was only a topic because of safety measures for Victor, Mila and the Exalt. Yakov didn’t…”, Yuuri gestures wildly with his hand to calm his younger brother. He feels warm and tingly that his sibling wants to defend and protect him.

“Still. Of all people, how could ya be someone suspicious?”, the farm boy crosses his arms unbelieving and still grumpy at his revelation.

“Well, our first meeting wasn’t really a daily occurrence you could say…”, the magic user shrugs and Victor snorts amused at the memory, while the others just stare at the both of them.

Toshiya furrows his brows, “How did you even join the Shepherds Yuuri? I know that you wanted to travel the world like before you settled down in Ylisse and Victor was always your beloved idol, but it’s still rather incredible you ended up with them.”

“Well they found me lying in the fields and…”, the Tactician stills as the words click in his head, then he turns bright red shrieking, “WAIT, WHAT?!? _My beloved Idol_?”, Yuuri exclaims petrified.

Phichit, Mila and Chris laugh loudly at that, while Victor’s smile turns smug and Yakov just raises his eyebrows in interest.

“Yeah, you always talked ‘bout how cool and handsome he is. And that you would like to be a hero like him. I think, you even had some paintings in your wardrobe”, Toshi puts a finger to his lips deep in thought.

“Oh my gods!”, the amnesiac looks horrified.

Mila grins widely, “Well that would explain, why you knew only Vitya’s name at that time!”

Phichit snorts loudly, “That must have been an enormous amount of adoration, if you still remembered Victor’s name after your amnesia incident, but not your own. Hahaha!”

Yakov shrugs deep in thought, “Well it would make sense…”

The strategist’s eyes turn to his liege full of shame and face scarlet, but Victor just directs a beautiful heart-shaped smile at him, “Yuuuuuri! I didn’t know, you like me that much! I’m honoured to be your idol! Toshiya tell me more about my lovely second-in command!”, with that the prince winks flirtatiously at him and turns to Yuuri’s adoptive brother to get more embarrassing Yuuri-background-stories.

The Tactician groans exasperated. They wouldn’t let him live that down, but he would have to deal with it.

The Shepherds continue to exchange stories the whole trip to the border. Phichit telling them about his travels to Ferox and his cute pets at home, a species called hamsters. He has five of them named Marth, Alm, Celica, Lyn and Priam. They all have different fur colours to distinguish them better from each other.

“Celica is the shy one of the five. Lyn is very fearless and Alm calm like the eye of a storm. Marth is the cheeky one and Priam the most agile”, the Mercenary exclaims like a proud dad.

Yuuri smiles lovingly. The little hamsters just sound so adorable.

Then Chris reminisces about the scenery of Rosanne in Valm and his excursions with his cute hawk Ciel and cat Duchess, who are taken care of by a friend in his former Dukedom. Seung-gil talks about his dear husky called Shin back in Ferox. Victor happily tells his favourite Makka-stories and Toshiya recounts his tales with the livestock back in his hometown and then starts again to retell stories of Yuuri and him in past days.

Time seems to fly by quicker with funny narrations of past incidents.

At some point Yuuri just stopped caring and just listened to the tales about their adventures as kids and teenagers with Victor hanging off his shoulders. It was a nice past-time for him and the Shepherds, telling each other about their lives before the groups founding. They laugh at stupid accidents and funny mishaps, encouraging themselves to open up by trying to top each other’s tales with more embarrassing or adventurous ones. Even Yakov tells them a bit about his life as an Ylissean soldier, before he was in charge of Vitya and Mila. They even get some glimpses in his past married life with Lilia. Yuuri smiling benignly, while remembering his thoughts of the both of them having a story of their own, when meeting them during this one particular meeting. The Shepherds all seem more comfortable with each other after talking about their variating pasts and the Tactician knows and feels that their bonds have grown stronger.

* * *

Around midday they arrive at the Longfort and are greeted by Raimi and her soldiers. Victor, Yuuri and Yakov have some small talk with Raimi about their upcoming missions and their next destinations. It was a good idea to get advice and proposals from a native to decide on the best path to take, to move forward with efficiency. Afterwards they chose an inn to warm themselves up and get some warm soup into their empty growling stomachs. Nobody is able to fight to the fullest on an empty belly.

The Tactician even gets the chance to talk about his fighting knowledge to Toshiya between all the planning of their routes and safety measures.

“So, I was trained by my mother, when we arrived in Ylisse?”, Yuuri is astounded at the fact that his mother was a skilled warrior, knowledgeable in so many different arts and ways.

“Yes, she even tried to teach me some easy tricks with you helping me through the basics. I only know that she was your teacher concerning strategy, magic and sword play”, his younger brother slurped his soup with gusto, “I asked you one time about your dancing prowess and your graceful mannerisms. And you told me that you had a very kind teacher in Plegia, who always critiqued your posture, but nothing more. You would only get that faraway look and turn silent. You looked on one hand yearning and on the other very reserved and distant. I always thought that your past had to be complicated for you to make that kind of expression.”

“Hm… I really wasn’t eager to talk about my former life in Plegia, it seems…”, the magic-user concludes gritting his teeth in worry.

Even now he has this feeling in his gut that he doesn’t want to remember anything about this place or at least most of it. He unconsciously looks down at his hand with the strange rune on it and shivers slightly. The young man feels terror and fear creeping up on him and his stomach churns.

When his shaking starts to get noticeable, a palm is gently placed over the back of his hand and Yuuri looks up to meet deep blue eyes in concern.

The brown-eyed man smiles at Victor, turns his hand and links their fingers carefully together. He is grateful for the support, he’s been given. Thankful that Victor is there for him and cares for him, when he needs it the most.

He closes his eyes, enjoying the warmth of their hands intertwined, sighing softly, but startles, when the Ylissean Noble questions Toshiya with great seriousness, “So, about the poster in Yuuri’s room…”

The Tactician shrieks and takes his hand away, missing the warmth immediately, but he is too embarrassed to twine their fingers again, instead pleading to his brother, “Please don’t…!”

Toshi laughs at his brother for a second, then turns serious and responds, “If Yuuri doesn’t want to know, then I won’t tell a soul about anything! My apologies, Your Highness.”

This lets Victor start pouting and giving the magic user his ‘Makkachin-puppy-dog-eyes’. But the amnesiac remains stoic, not wanting to embarrass himself any further. When the prince starts clinging to him, Yuuri mouths ‘maybe another time’. And his Commander seems to be satisfied with his answer, smiling at his second-in-command with glee for his future victory.

After that they switch their conversation topic, talking about the good food of the tavern and the upcoming mission, trying to gain as much energy from their break as they can before their next travel.

* * *

Their journey is accompanied by snowflakes dancing around them, guided by frosty winds. This time the Shepherds prepared themselves with warm winter coats to withstand the cold of the Feroxian plains. Still Georgi and Yuuri’s ability with Fire magic is greatly welcomed, their comrades taking turns to stand near their magic users. Victor swears that when they would take shelter in the inn after accomplishing their mission, he would definitely take a hot bath to warm himself up to not get frost burn. And the Tactician agrees with him wholeheartedly. Even though the both of them love Ice magic and like the frosty winters, the two men still favoured cuddly places.

To distract the Shepherds from the harsh weather the prince talks about possible nicknames for his namesake, the Berserker Victor, because he doesn’t want to get confused with him.

“How about Bictor?”, Georgi suggests thoughtfully.

Chris smiles, “I am still partial to Dictor!”

Phichit holds his stomach laughing and wheezing. He loves that name.

Seung-gil tries to remain stoic at the Mercenary’s antics and Yuuri shakes his head. Mila chuckles amused and Sara grins widely.

Victor seems deep in thought at all the different suggestions, remaining focused and silent to decide on the best.

Michele huffs, “I am still for Berctor or Victerker.”

Yakov just sighs tired from their ongoing and stupid discussion. Just as he wants to reprimand his students to focus on their task, his attention gets caught by a few figures and three travel wagons at the end of the road and frowns, “You all stop your nonsense. There are people in front of us and one seems to be wounded. We should hurry and ask them what happened. Maybe they are involved with our mission…”

Victor nods and turns to his Shepherds, “You heard Yakov! Stay on your toes! And move forward! The healers, please stay behind me! We may have injured civilians!”

They get in position and make haste to the group of figures in the snow.

From afar it seems like a caravan decided to rest in the middle of the road. However, two figures are kneeling outside with blood tainting the pure white snow. As the Shepherds run towards the traders, they hear the voice of the one of the Merchants, who is kneeling in the cold to help the other person with his injuries from afar, “Blast... It seems, all hope is lost. Still, hold fast. I'll treat your wounds... Camilla, get me one of our potions! Quickly! We are out of time!”

[The](https://fireemblem.fandom.com/wiki/Soldier) wounded soldier coughs, his eyes frantically searching for something, he can’t seem to grasp.

The trader pats him on the cheeks, “Hold on, brave soldier! Camilla, where is the potion?”

The guard stirs slightly, blood colouring his clothes, “Ngh... It's t-too late...”, he sighs and then he lies still, death taking him away.

[The](https://fireemblem.fandom.com/wiki/Chrom) prince rushes to them as fast as he can with his entourage, following behind him, Mila readying her staff, “Dear Naga, what's happened here?!”

The Merchant turns to him, his eyes glazed over with unshed tears as he covers the face of the dead soldier, “Nothing but death ahead, travellers. I'd turn back, if I were you... Whatever your business here, it will have to wait.”

The heir to the throne of Ylisse tries to remain composed, knowing that they were too late to save the soldiers life with his healers, Mila gritting her teeth. Victor tries to focus on the matter at hand, maybe they could help in another way, “Dear man, please just tell us what happened.”

The peddler sighs exhausted, “Bandits have blocked the road ahead. They're demanding a king's ransom in illicit tolls for all, who wish to pass the village Even refugees are not safe from them.”

Victor grimaces, his face muscles straining, “They think to profiteer on refugees as well as on the tradesmen? Despicable the lot!”

The trader nods sadly, “Our caravan's livelihood is at stake. We'll do no business further east now without paying the tolls… And I don’t want to think about the poor villages under their grasps up ahead…”

Yakov steps forward, crinkling his forehead in concern, “The flow of goods must be secured, Vitya or the people are likely to starve to death in these frozen lands. They don’t have the resources to survive on their own in this harsh weather.”

The prince nods in agreement, coming to a decision, “Then we'll secure it. You and your caravan can wait here. We'll let you know, when it's safe.”

* * *

A few kilometres ahead the bandit Victor rushes through the snowy plains to meet up with his twin brother Vincent. The cold wind grazes his nearly bald head, while his trained muscles keep him warm in the frozen fields.

He enjoys the anticipation before a raid and this one will be very satisfying.

When he sees his sibling looking at the town before them, he smiles cheekily, knowing his twin feels the same.

The Berserker comes to a stop before his relative, “Vincent, darling?”

Vincent turns to him, averting his gaze from their target, “Yes, Victor?”

The other grins, “I daresay, we've come across a village, Vincent.”

Vincent mirrors him, anticipation and the thrill of hunting and raiding filling his brown eyes, “And what a thriving little hamlet it is, Victor!”

His twin chuckles openly, “Indeed. I think, it'll make for a fine bit of pillaging, Vincent.” And his brother lets out an agreeing laugh, “It most certainly will, Victor, darling.” Then they both turn serious and silent.

Victor is the first to speak again, clapping both of his hands together to start the plan on the raid, knowing he is the one to lead this time, “Well then, I believe it's my turn to do the honours, isn't it, Vincent, darling?”

Vincent nods, giving his consent, “I do believe it is, my dear Victor! Oh, but if you would be so kind to remember to try not to kill them all this time, hmm? It tends to cut into our hard-earned profits and future earnings. Do you understand, darling?”

The Berserker nods in understanding, twirling his short axe and Vincent leaves his brother to get to his own business, while Victor decides to give the sign to advance with his group of comrades towards the town.

* * *

At the village the horn for threats is blown, when the guardian on watch duty sees the bandits closing in on their outskirts. Anna, a young red-haired woman with deep hazel eyes is just organizing her new products, when she gets disturbed by the sound of the alarm. She sighs annoyed, putting her hard-earned coins into her pocket. The bandit attacks had increased in this area during the last weeks and she knows that her business as a merch will get influenced very gravely, if she doesn’t do something against the robberies and raids. She eyes her store for one second to check on her goods, before she closes up for the day. The Trickster then grabs her favourite steel sword and runs towards the town gates to exit the village and protect it from the incoming nuisances. She isn’t paid enough for this, maybe the girl should have another talk with the town’s mayor or the trader’s guild.

As the bandits approach, she remains calm and takes on her trademark pose with her index finger rested at her face and putting on a sly smile to conclude her sales transactions, “Hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I'm afraid this village is closed today, dear customers.”

Victor chuckles at her brave antics, “Well, aren't you a fetching young thing? And fetching young things fetch good coin. In fact, the gold you net from the slavers will build Vincent a fine home!”

Anna puts on her best customer smile, “Careful, love. Us traders are known to make some very deep cuts.”

* * *

After following the road to the village, the Shepherds arrive at the start of the battle with the bandits. Yakov scans over the plains to get an understanding of the enemy’s numbers. The Great Knight grunts, when noticing a brave young woman trying to defend the village against the raid from the outlaws, “That village is in danger and that woman as well. There are too many for one single fighter to take on. One must ride ahead and warn them of what's coming. And we must hurry!”

The prince lets out a breath to focus and looks to Yuuri, who nods at him and gives a sign to Yuuko, who dives with her Pegasus into the cloudy sky. The Tactician turns to their comrades, “As far as we know the leader of the raiders are two men named Victor and Vincent. They are both Berserkers and axe wielders, but we don’t know, if we will go up against one of them or both together. So, we have to stay cautious.”

Yuuri takes a quick look around the plains, noticing some Archers, a lot of Barbarians and some Fire Mages. He takes a deep breath to suppress his upbuilding anxiety. Barbarians, Mages and Archers, they can do this and with Yuuko’s report his plan will be completed. The Pegasus Knight returns, whispering to the amnesiac about her observations.

Yuuri grins that she couldn’t find any other hidden enemies from above. Good that would raise the probability of their success.

The second-in-command smiles at his liege and raises his voice again to his allies to explain their plan of action, “The group ahead is built up of Barbarians, Mages and Archers, excluding their leader, who is one of the twins. They try to storm the village, which is protected by a young lady, who seems to be a Trickster. We have to act fast to support her. So, one group will attack the bandits near our vicinity so that the others can break through, another will rush to aid the brave woman and the town and the third unit will clear the second groups path and hold up further advancements until the first and second unit joins them again. The teams will be as follows; Phichit, Toshiya, Nikolai and Seung-gil are the first unit, which is headed by me. Mila, Chris, Yuuko and Takeshi will be the second group, led by Victor. And Sara, Mickey, Emil, Georgi and Anya will form the third unit, commanded by Yakov. Don’t forget your goals. First group focus on the enemy near our position, second team break through and help the woman and town, and third unit support the second group and then focus on the advancing units. And if someone needs backup whistle three times or try to get away and find our allies. Are we clear? Then move out!”

The Shepherds raise their arms and shout, “Let’s get them!”

But Victor looks confused and interrupts, “Wait Yuuri! You are heading the first group?!? But at this rate we will be separated! I don’t…”, his voice cuts off in a strange manner.

The brown-eyed man gives him a puzzled stare, “Yeah, we are divided in three units to be more efficient and faster in supporting the town. Is there something wrong with my plan? I wanted to use our groups numbers and thought that like this we will be very quick in defeating the bandits before further enemies can join the fight…”

The prince shakes his head, knowing that what he is going to say, is ridiculous even to his ears, but he can’t help himself, “No, there is nothing wrong with your plan. It’s brilliant like always… But…”

‘Oh Naga, how needy I will sound…’

“But?”, Yuuri can’t follow his prince’s thought process, so he waits.

The Ylissean Noble breathes out deeply, “Well, we never fought apart before and well, I feel safer, when you are by my side and… And then there is your position as head of the first unit. You put yourself unnecessarily in danger with this kind of strategy and well…”, Victor starts to shuffle nervously under his Tactician’s blank gaze and whispers fidgeting, “I just want to fight by your side. I’m sorry. It’s stupid, I know… You must think me an idiot”, the prince sighs.

But Yuuri just chuckles, “You are not an idiot, Victor. It’s not stupid and I understand your feelings, I also want to always fight by your side.”

The silver-haired noble stares at him with wide shimmering eyes, his mouth gaping wide open as if he can’t believe it, “You do?!?”

The amnesiac’s gaze turns fond, “Of course, I do. But I also see it as important that we deepen the bonds with our other friends as well. Furthermore, I know of the dangers of battle, Victor. But I have to keep an eye on our newest addition and Nikolai. I would have taken Yuuko as well, but you need her wide range to raze through the enemy lines. And it has to be you, who has to safe the town. You are our leader and prince, our figurehead. I promise that there will be fights, where we will fight side by side, but for now this is our best bet, please understand.”

The Ylissean Noble smiles sadly at him, “I understand and believe in you, Yuuri. You are right with your arguments. But I still had to tell you.”

Yuuri grabs his hand and softly squeezes their palms together before letting go and turning to their upcoming battle, “We have to go. We shouldn’t waste any more time.”

“Yeah…”, the prince looks a little dazed than smiles and salutes playfully with a wink, “We are waiting for your orders, lieutenant!”

The Tactician giggles in amusement, then turns serious, “First unit, we head out! Second and third unit, get in position!”

The Shepherds arrange themselves according to their plan and look to their second-in-command. Yuuri nods to Yakov and Victor, “On my mark! GO!”

The amnesiac and his group start to run forward to confront the bandits in the second- and third-unit’s way. Their surprise attack gives them the upper hand and the first bandits are easily knocked out of the way, so that the other two groups can advance. As Victor passes Yuuri, he yells, “Be safe!” and the magic user responds with “You too”.

“You two are _soooo_ sweet!”, Phichit exclaims with a playful giggle.

Yuuri groans, taking out his thunder tome and directing his spells at three enemies in succession, “Shut up, Phi! Now is not the time for this!”

The Mercenary just giggles again and knocks out a Fire Mage with the end of his steel sword. Nikolai also stifles a laugh and blasts a wind spell into the direction of a bandit, while Toshiya tries not to pee his pants during his fight with an Archer. Maybe he has been too optimistic with wanting to join their cause, which means joining battle after battle, without proper training in wielding weapons. Seung-gil just remains stoic and silent with a light amused smirk on his face, while engaging some Barbarians. He won’t say it, but he definitely and without a doubt enjoys his time with the Shepherds.

When the last fighter of unit two and three runs past them, the Tactician says loudly, “Don’t let anyone pass us! Stay near each other and don’t engage an enemy alone! We can do this, my friends!”

Then the fighting starts for real and the members of unit one have to focus on their opponents.

* * *

Victor’s gaze still often strays behind himself after passing Yuuri and the others. The prince is still distraught that he won’t be able to fight side by side with his second-in-command this time, but the Ylissean Noble understands the reason behind their set up. He sighs deeply, he can’t let Yuuri down. So, he must focus on his task.

Chris eyes him silently, then also turns to their smaller growing comrades the more distance they leave between them. The Archer then decides to talk to his best friend, “I don’t like it either, cheri, believe me! But what can we change? We should try to be as fast, but throughout as possible. And I think, Yuuri had the best idea to accomplish that. The brave woman won’t be able to deal with the bandits on her own forever without back up.”

Victor nods, “Yeah, I know…”, he pauses, eyes narrowing at the distance between his unit and the attacked village, “I think, we should send Yuuko and you forward, just to shoot the Archers, otherwise we won’t be fast enough. Don’t get too close and try attacking from a safe distance. I don’t think, they have someone with a sniping skill, but just to be on the safe side. Can you do that?”

His best friend grins widely, “Leave it to me, cheri!”, then Chris waves to Yuuko and he hops on the Pegasus’ back.

Victor catches the Pegasus Knight’s confused stare, “Yuuko, can you bring Chris near the Archers that he can shoot down on them, but please chose a safe distance for you both. I don’t want you to get harmed in the process. We will hurry to catch up, but at this pace, we won’t make it in time to safe the brave woman!”

Yuuko salutes, “No problem, Captain!” And with a swift movement of her legs, she stirs her Pegasus into motion and they lift off into the sky.

Victor stares after them for a short while, hoping everything will be alright and then turns to Mila, Takeshi and the third unit, “We should get a move on! We can’t let Yuuko and Chris deal on their own for long.”

Yakov lets his gaze waver through the plains, analysing the area and the position of their foe, “Vitya, we will separate after we pass these trees.”

The prince is stunned for one second, then decides to observe the area.

“Yuuri was right to divide us in three units”, Yakov starts to explain his reason, “At the moment the woman is only occupied with three Archers, who shall probably tire her out, before the reinforcements of the hooligans arrive. Your team can take care of that, but as you may have noticed, many robbers are hiding near the woods, waiting for the brave lady to be exhausted. So, my team will hold them back, while you deal with the town and the woman. But hurry! The faster you are, the sooner we can join Yuuri’s unit and engage the rest as grand group.”

“You are right, Yakov!”, Victor smiles at his father figure, “I’ll see you in a bit”, the prince turns to Mila and Takeshi, “Come, we have to fasten our pace!” The Myrmidon just smirks and Mila grumbles, but they both double their effort in running with Victor alongside them.

The second and third unit split up with the group commanded by the Shepherd’s leader running up north. They soon arrive at their assigned area, helping to take out the Archers after Chris’ onslaught on them from the sky.

After clearing their area Victor turns to the brave woman, who fought for the town, “Milady, are you hurt? Do you need healing? Oh. You're... fine. Well, I guess, it was silly of me to be worried, eh?”

The female Trickster eyes him for some seconds deeply in her own thoughts and starts smiling after the prince hands her his handkerchief over to dampen her sweaty forehead, “Yes, but it's sweet all the same, handsome.

Victor laughs at her flirtatious comment. This woman was something else.

She gives him back his handkerchief and the heir to the throne of Ylisse says grinning, “You seem to have things well in hand, but I hope, you won't mind a little company? Just until we sort these rogues out.”

The red-head coos at him, “Aw, you ARE worried! That's adorable! I welcome the assistance, though!”

The prince nods and turns to his squad, “We should warn the village and inform them of her bravery, then we will join the front again!”

The Shepherd’s respond with “Yes, Sire!” and they head to the village entrance to talk to the people. One elder greets them happily at the town’s gate, “That peddler woman was fighting to protect the village! That kind of warmth is more than welcome in these cold lands. Here. Please use this to heal her if she's hurt.” The Ylissean Noble is given a Physic Staff and then the elder and him discuss about their ongoing fight and their stay afterwards. After having settled the essentials Victor leads his friends to join Yakov’s unit, surprised that Yuuri’s group already caught up with their allies. As soon as they all are reunited, Victor and Yuuri team up and the Shepherds head south to confront the remaining bandits and their leader.

The prince is glad to have his second-in-command by his side again, relaxing his shoulders slightly and stopping to worry.

They find the Berserker on the other side of a bridge in the south, surrounded by his comrades. The raid’s leader grimaces menacingly and shouts bitingly, “Give up now! I was born a Victor and victory will be mine, damned folks!”

Chris snickers amused, “Well, we have our own Victor in our Shepherds, so I guess, we’ll see about the outcome!”

The Berserker takes a step back, spluttering, “S-Shepherds! Damn it!”

The prince whines, “Yeah and I thought, he would be Dictor! … Or was it Bictor… I think, I forgot, which name we have chosen for him…”

Yuuri just smiles, shaking his head and Yakov facepalms, “Vitya, we can’t have you change each individual’s name, just because they share yours… Focus on the task ahead please. There are more pressing concerns.”

“Right!”, the Ylissean Noble straightens his back, “My friends, we will rid this place from the bandits at once! Are you with me?”

“Yes, Sire!”, they all respond and Victor smiles at them, before his face changes into the one of their Commander, shouting, “Then let’s move out! For the people!”

After this they all engage ones more in battle with the Shepherds having the upper hands because of their skills and practised collaborations with each other. The remaining bandits are quickly defeated. And the Berserker had to be taken out as it wasn’t possible to apprehend him. The bandit is only muttering with a faraway look in his last seconds, “I see an open field, Vincent... Such beautiful flowers...”, before he stills, leaving Victor and Yuuri with a bad aftertaste. They never liked to kill, but the situation left them with no choice.

The Tactician takes the prince’s hand softly to squeeze it for support with the Ylissean Noble responding in kind to the gesture.

Yakov comes up to his liege and their strategist, thinking that the bandit didn’t stand one chance against the two Shepherd’s combinations, attack and support strategies. The Great Knight is very impressed by how far his student came with the support of the Tactician. The lieutenant is once more proven that the prince and the amnesiac are a force to be reckoned with in battle, when paired up together as fighting partners. He is really glad that Yuuri joined their cause back then, the Ylissean soldier wouldn’t know, how their group would function otherwise today.

After burying the bodies of the fallen outlaws and praying for their souls, the Shepherds make their way back to town to look after the citizens and get some well-deserved rest.

They encounter the Merchant with his caravan from before and the brave, still nameless woman at the village’s gate.

The older man comes up to Victor with a grateful smile, reaching for his hand to shake in gratitude, “A thousand thanks, good Sir. I'd feared our goods would spoil before reaching the market. I'm certain the townsfolk will be happier for the fresh food as well.”

The prince’s lips curl slightly, “There is no need for thanks. We are pleased that we could be of use in helping you. But why are you already down here? I thought, we agreed to inform you after the thread is eradicated. It could have been dangerous for you and your folks, good man!”

The Merc blushes a little, “Well, I just couldn’t stand to wait and let you, young lad’s do everything on your own! But when I came down to the plains, it was already free from the hooligans. So, I wanted to spare you the trip to inform us about your marvellous deeds.”

The leader of the Shepherds nods in appreciation, “Thank you. I hope that you will have safe travels from now on!”

The Merchant beams at him, “We thank you, dear folks! We wish you the same! Take these five remedies as a sign of our gratefulness.”

At first the prince wants to decline, but the civilian isn’t taking no for a answer, so he thanks the man again and takes the offered goods, handing them to Georgi. When the trader bids his farewell and enters the town’s gates, the young woman approaches him, “’t seems you've done a kindness to my fellow merchants. The name's Anna. Some folks like to call me the Secret Seller. Next time we meet, I'll be sure to cut you an extra-special deal, darling.”

Victor is baffled, “Secret Seller? That sounds... interesting. I think, I heard of you before…”

Anna giggles, “I'd tell you more, but then it wouldn't be much of a secret, now would it? Until next time, happy shopping, and may the gods of the open road keep you!”, with that she turns around, also entering the town.

The prince just stares for a bit, Yuuri patting his right shoulder, “She sure is something. I’ve rarely met such an energetic and weird young lady!”

Victor just shrugs, brushing the conversations aside. He feels tired from their long battle and just wants to rest up for the next mission. They still have two missions to go. The noble looks up at the sky, noticing the sun on the horizon and turns to his allies, “I think, we all deserve some good rest! Let’s find the inn, check in and have a peaceful evening!”

* * *

After entering the small town, they get easily sheltered at the best inn.

Even though the owners want them housed for free, the Shepherds refuse the offer, stating that they don’t want to inconvenience the village people.

Their dinner is abundant and the rooms come with two or one big bed, so they decide to share in teams of two, dividing themselves among each other.

Phichit nearly catapults himself at Yuuri, exclaiming, “I call dips on Yuuri as my roommate! It’s bff-time, buddy!”

The amnesiac just snickers at the Mercenary’s antics, but agrees to his suggestion.

Victor observes the scene, feeling frustrated that he can’t have his second-in-command as roommate, asking Chris to be his chamber buddy, before he gets stuck with Georgi and his dramatics about wanting to share with Anya.

They all have a short discussion about tomorrows plans of waking early and marching north to their next planned destination. After all the planning, the Shepherd’s retire to their respected accommodations, trying to rest up early.

Phichit and Yuuri play a little on the Tactician’s strategy board, before the Mercenary decides to clean his sword thoroughly and join Seung-gil for a sparring match. Phichit asks the amnesiac, if he wants to come along, but Yuuri refuses, stating that he wants to take a walk around the village and gaze at the stars a little as night has fallen and they have a clear sky today.

When both separate, the magic user exists the inn and starts wandering to the town square to the lake up north. The natives told him about their legend of the lake that on full moons such as today a snow fairy descends on its surface, bringing luck to everyone, who meets the magic creature and sees them dance. Even though the Tactician doesn’t believe in folklore, he is still curious about that legend. So, he marches in the cold to the shore of the legendary lake, looking at the frozen solid ice and noticing a lone figure dancing on the surface. His breath stills and his heart pounds loudly and strong in his chest. The magic user has never seen something more enthralling in all his life. The dance is so unbelievingly beautiful, the gestures with his hands so soft and vulnerable. His silver hair gliding behind as he would be encircled by a silver halo. It could be the moon god himself, gliding on blades over the frozen grounds like he was praying to a lover to stay by his side forever and never leave him behind. He is breath-taking.

Yuuri watches the performance, not daring to interrupt the resplendent routine on the ice, trailing every move with his eyes in wonder.

Victor then comes to a halt, feeling eyes following him. When the prince notices Yuuri, he smiles widely and glides to him to the shore, “Yuuuuri!”

The magic user stares at him, still enthralled from what he has witnessed moments ago, not perceiving the words softly tumbling over his lips, “That was so beautiful, Victor!”

The silver-haired man grins at him and walks off the ice to remove the ice blades, “Thank you. It’s a routine that I’ve been working on for some time now. I wanted to present it as surprise at the Festival On ICE. It’s called Stammi Vicino or Stay Close To Me.”

Yuuri hums thoughtfully at that, “It’s a very emotional routine, but it seems a little bit lonely for only one person to skate it…”

The Ylissean Noble stares at him surprised, an emotion fleeting in his eyes, which the Tactician can’t place.

Then Victor stares into the night sky, whispering nearly inaudible for the brown-haired man to hear, “I think so too…”

Yuuri observes him silently and then speaks, “Maybe you could teach me how to ice skate some time?”

The heir to the throne of Ylisse turns his gaze to him, raising an eyebrow.

The Tactician blushes at the intensity, “W-we could perhaps skate the routine together, after I learned properly?”, he splutters, “But only if you want to, of course! I would never… You know…”

The leader of the Shepherds starts to laugh, his voice sounding like bells in the stillness of the night. After getting control over his body again the prince asks curiously, “You really would want to skate with me?”

Yuuri huffs, “Of course! Who wouldn’t! You dance like a god on the ice! I nearly thought, you were the fairy from the legends!”

“Like a god or fairy, hmm?”, Victor smirks amused, his cheeks turning a little pink, “That’s a new one. Are you sure, you are not exaggerating?”

“I would never! You were very beautiful out there. Everyone, who would have seen, would be enthralled and seduced by now…”, the amnesiac notices his indication and turns embarrassed for voicing his thoughts, especially when he notices the prince starring at him with wide blown eyes. Yuuri coughs pointedly, trying to cover up, what he just said and he crosses his arms, “Oh Naga, just forget that I said anything!”, the dark-haired man huffs embarrassed and turns silent, hoping he would get away without the prince inquiring, what he had meant by his words before.

Victor beams at him though and smiles softly. Yuuri was just too precious. The heir to the throne of Ylisse wants to inquire about the meaning behind his words, but decides against it. He just grabs the Tactician’s hand, squeezing it lightly, turning his gaze away to the heavens above them, “Thank you.”

Yuuri just hums, leaning against him.

A comfortable silence falls between the two men with both of them starring up at the star filled night sky, chasing their individual thoughts.

After a while Yuuri watches Victor attentively, seeing a distant loneliness in his eyes, he never noticed before. At first, he wants to talk about the prince’s expression, but then he thinks better of it, let’s go of his lieges’ hand to crouch down and gathers some snow in his hands. His friend’s stare follows him in question, but remains silent. Yuuri forms a small ball with his palms and shoots it at Victor’s left shoulder.

“Wah... Hey! What was that for?!”, the noble exclaims exasperated.

But Yuuri just laughs loudly pointing at his prince’s betrayed face, a pout forming on the royal’s lips. The Tactician raises both of his hands to apologize, “I’m sorry, Victor! I just couldn’t resist! I…”, he trails off, when a snowball hits his face, missing his glasses by an inch.

The Ylissean Noble winks at him, grinning widely, “Revenge for before!”

Yuuri cleans the snow from his face, removing his glasses and storing them in the safety of his bag, which he hangs up on a near tree. Then he brushes his hair behind, targeting Victor with his piercing gaze, which lets the prince gulp in anticipation. Yuuri smirks, “Game’s on!”

They both jump aside, building a small fort of snow to hide from the other’s assaults. Many snowballs are thrown in various directions, targeting different body parts or being placed as decoy for another following attack.

Victor evades one of the incoming shots by a hair’s breadth, he grins cheekily and raises his head slowly over the safety of his fort to shout proudly, “You missed! I thought, you have better aim than that, Yuu-”, he gets hit right in the face by a snowball. The prince spits out the ice in his mouth, coughing a little, “T-That w-wasn’t f-fair, Yuuuriii!”

Victor tries to find the Tactician’s head and has to dodge three incoming snow assaults by hiding behind his fort.

“Why should I play fair, Victor! We never agreed on any rules!”, Yuuri sniggers melodically and the silver-haired man scowls, “Just you wait! You little… little?”

Oh Naga, he doesn’t know with what to insult Yuuri.

He was never any good with aggravating words.

“-little?”, his friend asks for him to continue.

Victor huffs annoyed, but grinning, “Little anything!”

And Yuuri starts to laugh at his lack in knowledge of words to find a proper one to insult him.

“Well, I will have my revenge anyway! Get ready to get royally smashed!”, the heir to the throne exclaims a little bit arrogant, forming his snowballs for his next attack.

The Tactician stifles a laugh.

Victor feels himself being a child again and also starts to snicker in glee.

He hears some rustling from the snow and then a whispering voice against his right ear, “Then prepare to be checkmated, my dear Commander!”

The prince turns instantaneously around, not believing his eyes.

While he was distracted with their conversation, thinking about his next plan of action and preparing the snowballs, Yuuri snuck up on him as silent as possible and now holds him at gunpoint.

Before Victor can think of anything to help him get a stalemate between the both of them, his second-in-command smirks and raises his voice, snowballs bouncing in his hands, “Do you surrender, Captain?”

Victor holds his gaze not wavering, “Never!”

They both stare at each other, eyes narrowing and turning all serious, before the two men can’t hold their laughter in any longer. The Tactician lets go of his two well-formed ‘weapons’ to hold his stomach, “You should have seen your face!” Yuuri wipes his tears away. Victor snorts in between his wheezing, “You should have seen yours! All serious and arrogant!”

“As if you are one to talk!”, the brown-eyed Shepherd counters.

The prince just huffs and turns his eyes to his prepared snowballs, reaching slowly out for them.

Yuuri’s gaze narrows again, “Don’t you dare! I’ve already won!”

Victor turns all smug, “I’ve never surrendered! You let your snowballs fall on your own accord! I never thought you so careless, Yuuri!”

The Tactician shakes his head and tackles him to the ground, when he nearly reaches his ‘prepared weapons’. The prince gasps as his breath gets knocked out of him, “That is cheating, Yuuuuuuri!”, Victor squirms to look his friend into the eyes. When their gazes meet, Yuuri sticks out his tongue in a display of childish defiance and the leader of the Shepherds starts laughing at their ridiculousness with his comrade joining him instantly. Then Victor grins mischievously and uses the momentum to turn the tides in his favour, but the Tactician uses their muscles drive to set them into a continuing rotation of their bodies. They roll around in the snow, trying to claim dominance over the other, still grinning and shrieking from time to time, but both men are very thick-headed and stubborn, and nobody wants to surrender in defeat. When the two friends are both out of breath and their exhales come out in small puffs, they finally agree on a truce. They both stare up, counting the stars in the night sky, feeling bubbly, but exhausted.

Victor smiles softly, “I don’t think, I can remember the last time, when I had this much fun, playing around without a worry in the world.”

Yuuri hums cheekily, “I don’t remember one either! The benefit of having chronic amnesia.”

The prince shoves him playfully, “You know, what I meant!”

His friend just snickers and the silver-haired man grumbles, before he turns serious, “I’m sorry.”

His second-in-command raises an eyebrow confused, “For what?”

Victor bites his lower lip, “For you not remembering anything. And I can’t do anything to help you… It must be truly frightening…”, his voice cuts off, when the amnesiac’s circumstances really hits him, “And you are dealing so well with it… How are you able to be so… so openminded? So accepting? So brave? So supportive of others? You always seem to have some kind of plan… You seem so strong and composed, even though there must be a rampaging storm rioting deep inside you… You are so amazing… And I… I don’t know, if I could be like you in this kind of state… I just… I don’t know… I want to be your support. But I don’t think, I do a good enough job as your friend… You deserve the world, Yuuri… and I want to give it to you… But I don’t know, how I could do better…”

Yuuri sighs, closing his eyes, “Victor… Thank you.”

“For what, Yuuri?”, the prince murmurs, “I didn’t do anything special to deserve your gratitude.”

The Tactician shakes head and opens his eyes, vulnerability reflecting in them, “You did so much. You gave me, a man without memories of his past, a position among the Shepherds, a feeling to belong and a place to call home”, the brown-eyed magic user smiles gently, “And many new friends with various personalities, I would have never met otherwise”, he tenderly stares into the princes blue eyes, “I will always be grateful for that.”

Victor feels himself tear up, wanting to cuddle up to Yuuri to share his appreciation and empathy, but gets held back by the others hand.

The amnesiac turns his gaze to the stars again, “And me being strong and put together about my situation… I guess, I never really thought much about it. It can be so easily brushed aside with all what’s going on at the moment. I don’t really have the time to concern myself with my missing past. It was nice to meet Toshiya and my adoptive mother, but well… For me it feels still like I’m just an observer, not an involved party… And for now that’s good… But, Victor, I also know that someday… all of it will come crashing down on me... My state of mind is very fragile and my anxiety is devastating, when I lose control over it…”, Yuuri takes a deep breath, shivering at the thought, but then searching again for Victor’s cerulean eyes to calm himself and convey his plea, “So, if you really mean it, then please be there for me, when it happens and support me like you do now.”

The Ylissean Noble takes Yuuri’s right hand into his, squeezing it gently, before placing a soft kiss at the back, tenderly rubbing his thumb in swift movements over the delicate skin, “I promise you that I will be there for you, supporting you through whatever will come our way, we will face everything together as two sides of one coin. And even if I mess up, I will never truly leave you. This I swear by my title as Prince of Ylisse, Commander of the Shepherds and foremost as your friend.”

The Tactician shakes his head laughing, “Why do you always have to be so dramatic? You drama queen? Your word as ‘Victor’ would have sufficed!”

Victor looks at him incredulously, “You said, you wanted a promise.”

Yuuri chuckles, “Yeah, a promise between friends not a Prince’s oath!”

The Ylissean noble huffs unbelieving, “There is nothing I can do to please you, is there?”

His friend just snickers at his dramatics and the heir to the throne of Ylisse sighs in resignation. He doesn’t want to argue any longer as he is losing the argument, so he starts moving his feet and arms to create a snow angel. Yuuri studies him interested, “What are you doing?”

The leader of the Shepherds smiles at him, “I’m creating a snow angel! So get out of the way, I need more space!”

Yuuri snorts and stands up, giving his liege more space. He slaps the snow from his clothes with rough movements and realizes how wet his overcoat has become from their time playing around on the frozen grounds.

They should head back to not get sick and run a nail into their plans.

Their schedule is too tight to give them any leeway.

“I think, we should head back, Victor, before we get sick, I’m nearly frozen solid and my clothes are all wet and I doubt that yours are in any better shape”, the Shepherd exclaims to his Commander. He reaches out his hand for the prince to take.

Victor huffs, finishing the snow angel until he is satisfied, before taking Yuuri’s outstretched hand to help him up from the snow-covered ground. The prince shivers, when the cold night wind grazes against him, “You are right. It will only get colder from now on.”

The magic user smirks, “Yeah, cause I’m always right! Maybe you should give me a payment raise”, Yuuri teases and gets shoved.

They don’t let go of their hands, when the two men walk back to the inn together, talking about how they should build a snow man the next time.

* * *

When they arrive at the inn, most of the guests and Shepherds had already retired to their appointed rooms for the night. Victor and Yuuri turn to the communal bath to warm themselves up. As the tavern only has a small bathroom, they argue about who will go first with the prince insisting that Yuuri should be given priority as he was longer standing without moving and should listen to his Commander. The Tactician scowls but complies, realizing they won’t get anywhere otherwise. He changes out of his clothes, trying to be as fast as possible, turns around to the bathtub and screams in horror, when spotting a big cockroach. The magic user doesn’t get any chance to do something, when Victor barges in alarmed with his sword held ready to strike an unknown enemy, “Yuuri, are you alright? What’s happened? Where is the threat?”

The amnesiac turns to him petrified and the prince takes everything in, his gaze focusing on the cockroach and then on Yuuri’s very naked body.

The Ylissean Noble freezes, gaping openly, not knowing what to do or where to look, his focus stuck on the other’s body. The noble knows, he’s shameless, but he can’t help it. It seems his brain has stopped functioning.

Yuuri is the first one to recover, shrieking loudly and trying to cover himself with something, anything. Then Victor startles out of his frozen state, spluttering over his tongue to apologize, his gaze however still on the sight before him, “I-I’m s-so s-sorry. Yuuri, b-believe me, i-it wasn’t my i-intention. I-I just wanted t-to h-help. I-I…”, he gulps, his mouth feeling certainly very dry. He tries to avert his gaze, however, the royal is still not able to look somewhere else to the chagrin of his dear friend. There go his etiquette lessons with Lilia and all of his princely charms.

The Tactician grits his teeth, cheeks deep scarlet, “Just get out!”

“Y-yeah, I-I..”, Victor stutters, still unmoving.

“NOW!”, Yuuri screams, throwing a towel at the stunned silver-haired man and the prince flees the room, slamming the door shut behind him, his heart pounding like he ran a marathon.

After hearing the door closing Yuuri slumps down, holding his head in distress and taking deep breaths to calm himself and his thundering heart. Oh Naga, just why?

The Tactician shakes his head, knowing that he won’t be able to play down the awkwardness and quickly takes a bath, still trying to calm his nerves.

Victor is still outside, waiting for him to finish and take his turn and he can’t let his Commander getting sick, just because the magic user has an internal meltdown. When the young man exists the bathroom, the prince twitches. They both turn a deep shade of red, avoiding looking into the other’s eyes, fearing what will be reflected in them.

Yuuri coughs, trying to be professional, “Em… I’m done. It’s your turn to warm up…Em…”, he doesn’t know what to say.

Victor hums, “Yeah… Em… Have a good night’s rest?”

Their gazes collide and they both turn away, their embarrassment painted clearly on their faces. They both don’t think that their current condition will be getting any better tonight.

Yuuri nods, “Yeah… I’ll see you tomorrow. Sleep well”, and with that he strides away to go to his room, hoping that everything will be resolved another day. When he opens the door to his accommodation, his face has recovered its normal colour and his breaths are steady and even.

Phichit greets him with a wave, “Did you have a good walk and bath?”

At this all crushes down on Yuuri and his cheeks grow totally red again.

He wails internally. Typical of his friend to make him all flustered without even knowing what is going on. The Mercenary has a talent for that.

His roommate eyes him critically and concerned, “Are you okay? What happened?”, Phichit then turns smugly as his brain grasps some unspoken truths, “Did our handsome Commander do something scandalous? Oh my! Tell me everything!”

Phi is really too observant for his own good sometimes. Yuuri wants to slap him for being right on point, but at the same time he just wants to sleep and have some peace, so the Tactician shrugs, trying to remain calm, however his body betraying him: his face turns a strong crimson hue and he loses control of his voice, screaming too loudly, “NO COMMENT!”, before jumping on his bed, burying himself in his blankets in hope of avoiding an upcoming interrogation, knowing that Phichit won’t stop bugging him until he spills the beans.

It will be a long night.


End file.
